AFC Wimbledon will have Port Vale envy as League Two promotion race takes new twist | OneFootball

Port Vale's good form has seen them launch themselves into a title fight, but if things had been different, Wimbledon could have been in that position

The race for promotion from League Two took yet another twist during the midweek fixtures as AFC Wimbledon saw themselves plummet from a title-fighting spot, to teetering on the cusp of heading out of the play-offs.

And meanwhile, Port Vale, who looked to be dropping off completely just as the business end of the season arose, have turned their fortunes around and look to be vying for not only automatic promotion, but the League Two title.

Having put together such a strong mid-season run and looking as though promotion was very likely for most of this 24/25 campaign, there is now a lot of envy about what could have been for the Dons.

AFC Wimbledon and Port Vale have very contrasting current form

It really is a tale of two very different sides when it comes to discussing and analysing the form of the two promotion-chasing sides.

Counting back to the start of March, a time when many fans start to set out their thoughts on what could happen as the end of the season approaches, Wimbledon have only won twice and managed to put a measly eight out of 24 available points on the board.

Whereas Darren Moore's Valiants have notched up a far better 15 points out of 24, with three wins there to boot.

That is all very confusing if you look back further this campaign and see that, for the longest time, Wimbledon have arguably been the better all-round side, if on-pitch performances are ignored for the most part.

And these two opposing form guides leave the League Two table looking vastly different from what it was at the start of this 'business-end' period.

Glancing at the table on 1st March, matchday 34, Wimbledon were ahead of Port Vale by a point in fifth place with a much better record all round. They were also within touching distance of the automatic spots and looked a shoo-in to replace the likes of Notts County, who were going through some patchy form.

Fast-forward to the present day, only six matchdays later, and Port Vale now sit in a lofty third place, three places better off having gained a healthy amount of points. While Wimbledon have fallen down the table, only by one place, but now have an arguable mountain to climb to even put themselves in contention for automatic promotion.

And to compile the misery further, Walsall, who for so long looked to be runaway leaders, have faltered completely, blowing the title race wide open for sides below them. Teams such as Bradford City, who the Dons beat well only back in February, have formed that chasing pack, but equally inconsistent form has also seen them struggle to make inroads on the Saddlers position.

Vale, though, have just quietly gone about their business, collected the points needed and now sit in a prime position to make the most of the tight differences that separate the teams at the top end, which is slowly turning the smiles of positivity from Wimbledon fans into angry grimaces filled with anger and envy.

Wimbledon could have fought for the title - but poor results could see them drop from play-offs

Had it been Wimbledon going about their business quietly, the top of table would likely see them sitting on the throne looking down on a chasing pack far below.

And those teams would have been so far back as the results from recent months have seen countless points dropped, annoyingly, in the dying moments of games.

Heading back to Colchester United away, the Dons saw three crucial points turn to just one in the last minute after Marcus Browne had put them ahead, and since then, it has only got worse.

Points and wins both home and away have been few and far between, and included in that have been the three most recent results, all of which looked like brilliant wins, only to then be cruelly reduced to just draws in the dying moments, or even worse, a loss, which occurred in the Dons most recent match against Swindon.

Taking just the small sample of the previous three, had they all been wins and results elsewhere stayed as they are, the Dons would be top by three points, and taking into further consideration some of the games before then, it is likely that Wimbledon fans could have been looking at a side with possibly one hand on the title.

Instead, firmly back in reality, the Dons now look like they could slip out of the play-offs, as teams such as Chesterfield and the aforementioned Colchester are both nipping at the heels of Johnnie Jackson's side.

So now it remains to be seen what he can do to, first, stop the rot and get Wimbledon winning matches, and winning them well.

But then also see if he can guide them back to where they really should have been in the first place. Before this, what-could-be a costly slip happened that has allowed Port Vale to rise into a promising spot in the ever-changing League Two promotion race. For that, there should be real envy.