Port Vale's Smith confident of promotion challenge

Nathan Smith has made more than 400 appearances for Port Vale since his debut in August 2016

Port Vale captain Nathan Smith says Thursday's win over second-placed Notts County shows the club "have everything they need" to be serious challengers for promotion from League Two.

A late strike from substitute Ronan Curtis gave in-form Vale, in sixth place, an important 1-0 win over Notts and helped them close to within one point of the automatic promotion spots.

The result stretched Vale's unbeaten run in the league to seven games, while also keeping them in touch with Bradford in third and the Magpies in second.

"We know what we're capable of and we didn't really show that over the Christmas period," Smith told BBC Radio Stoke.

Vale only took one point from their three games over that festive schedule, part of a wider run of eight matches without a win.

But now, after four victories and three draws, Vale are right in the mix.

"Momentum's massive in football," Smith said. "We went on a losing streak and it was difficult to get out of it. Now we're on a winning streak we have to make the most of it.

"We're showing what we're capable of - people know we're strong, we're powerful and we're ready to battle.

"But we can also get the ball down, we can create chances and we can definitely convert the way our forward players are playing at the moment."

With Salford, who are one place and four points below them, their next opponents on 22 February, Vale have another chance to further increase their cushion to the pack chasing a play-off place.

With only three sides - Bradford, Wimbledon and leaders Walsall - above them in the table to come over the last 16 games of the season, Smith is bullish over their chances of finishing in the top three.

"Absolutely - you can see it in the dressing room," said Smith, who won promotion from League Two with Vale via the play-offs in 2021-22.

"We're a close group who bond on and off the pitch. We're ready to push each other and back each other but also ready to tell each other when you're in the wrong.

"We've got everything we need. We've just got to go out and show it and be consistent.

"In the past seven games we've done that and perhaps been a bit hard done by with one or two things, so we could've come out with a few more points."

Nathan Smith was in the team that beat Mansfield Town in the League Two play-off final at Wembley in May 2022