Port Vale: 50 league matches in the bank, 7 from this season and the rest from last season in the League One. Northampton Town: 50 league matches in the bank, 7 from this season and the rest from last season in the League One.
The question this step asks
Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart?
The two sides
Port Vale -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 23rd of 24 after 7 games, with 5 points. It was not in this division last season -- it came down from the League One, where it finished 22nd of 24.
Its block
New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side new to its division. Against that block it has won 1, drew 0, lost 0 of 1. At home against them: won 1 of 1.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 2, drew 2, lost 12 of 16 (0.50 a game); against the middle block won 3, drew 6, lost 11 of 20 (0.75 a game); against the bottom block won 5, drew 4, lost 4 of 13 (1.46 a game); against sides new to the division won 1, drew 0, lost 0 of 1 (3.00 a game).
Northampton Town -- away
Where it stands
Stands 21st of 24 after 7 games, with 6 points. It was not in this division last season -- it came down from the League One, where it finished 24th of 24.
Its block
New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side new to its division. Against that block it has won 0, drew 0, lost 1 of 1. At home against them: won 0 of 1.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 3, drew 2, lost 9 of 14 (0.79 a game); against the middle block won 3, drew 3, lost 11 of 17 (0.71 a game); against the bottom block won 4, drew 5, lost 9 of 18 (0.94 a game); against sides new to the division won 0, drew 0, lost 1 of 1 (0.00 a game).
Built 00:05 from matches completed before
kick-off. Every figure is an observed count with its denominator —
not a forecast, and nothing here is a tip or a selection.