'3 or 4 players would be in the starting XI if fit. The rest of the spots are up for grabs'

ADAM

- Clive Youlton

Yates says the next run of games are vital for Port Vale if they are going to climb away from the foot of League One.The ex-Valiants defender - who played for a decade at Vale Park - believes the club will need to change the squad in January but for now the players have to start delivering, before it's too late.

Vale's game against Bradford City was postponed on Tuesday and it was the worst outcome as far as other results were concerned as Peterborough, Plymouth and Exeter all won, stretching the gap to safety to six points.

Vale visit Luton Town on Saturday, who scored a last-gasp equaliser at Leyton Orient on Tuesday night so will be on a high from that.

Yates admitted: "Looking at the league table on Wednesday morning it didn’t make great reading. And when I look at the teams down there as well, they are all teams that have got a bit of cash and a bit of firepower.

"They are teams really you wouldn't expect to be down there so I think Vale have really got to step up and the onus has to be on the management and the players to do that."

He added: "I think Carol and Kevin [Shanahan, owners] have done as much as they can possibly do. Vale have got a competitive budget in the league, a mid-table budget as far as I am aware.

"That’s really where they should be expecting to finish. I know it doesn’t always work like that. But at the moment it feels like they are starting to slip a little bit of a way behind."

He added: "The crucial periods are coming. Christmas and New Year are heavy in terms of the turnaround of games.