Robbie Earle: Port Vale have eight cup finals left to prove they deserve to go up

DEFEAT to Bristol Rovers has certainly hurt Port Vale's chances of automatic promotion.

Back in August, I'm sure Micky Adams, pictured, his players and the Vale fans would have settled for being third at this stage.

But one win from eight games is not promotion form, and losing at Rovers has allowed the chasing pack to get a little too close for comfort.

With Northampton now just two points behind, Adams's men need to rediscover their winning touch again ... and soon.

Fans panicking and making all sorts of rash judgements is not going to help their team, but it has to be accepted that Vale's poor form is a serious concern.

Five points from eight games is not the form of a team in "good nick".

However, I believe there are still sufficient positive indicators to suggest this group have enough about them to still make it over the line.

We should never look backwards in football, but just give a thought to those dark days, not so long ago, when we were not sure whether this great little club had a future.

The combination of stable people at the helm, a quality manager and a team who have proven their ability, should augur well for the run in.

Vale need to hold their nerve. In my experience, there are a number of unwritten rules that you need to adhere to in these circumstances.

All teams and players go through this run during a career, and I've always felt it important to make sure that, in terms of attitude, the glass is half full, rather than half empty.

And it's not just about the score in a match, sometimes it's also about how you react to the result.

I have been in teams who have reacted poorly to a winning run by getting a little too carried away. That can have as much of a negative influence on a team as a losing run.

It's important to keep the spirit and banter around the club, especially in the dressing room, sky high. It's too easy to start forming little cliques that only serve to provide a blame culture among the group.

In periods of poor form you need your experienced players to come to the fore, to be exemplary professionals reassuring the less mature members of the team to stay positive.

Younger players can find themselves over-burdened during a run of poor form and weighed down by the negativity of defeat.

It's the job and the responsibility of the elders to guide the kids through.

Also, let's not forget that Port Vale still have the division's top scorer in Tom Pope with 25 league goals.

I know his goals have dried up for now, with none in his last 10 games. But let's not forget he's a striker capable of hitting 30-plus.

Neither Gillingham nor Burton, who now sit above the Valiants in the table, have a player who features in the top scorers' chart.

It is therefore imperative Vale find a way to get Pope firing again.

Finding the right formation, the right partner and the right service are some of the challenges Adams has to resolve.

Finally, one of my traits when in a similar run of poor form to Vale's was to make sure football became the most important thing in my life.

I would tighten up all the things that I may have personally let slip or overlooked, that could in any way be contributing to any below-par performances.

I'd make sure I got plenty of sleep, was diligent with my diet and weight, and put in some extra time on the training ground.

At such times, Mrs Earle knew that trips to the cinema or dinners out with friends were not on the agenda until the team's fortunes had picked up.

I realised that addressing these issues was no guarantee of a return to form, but it was my way of making sure I was in the best mental shape I could be.

When I look at the table I am heartened by the fact that Vale sit above that dotted line separating them from the play-off teams.

With eight games to go, it is important they keep their nerve through to the end of what should be described as a good campaign.

However, I am not one of those who will settle for a play-off place.

The team has overcome adversity and deserve automatic promotion.

They now have eight cup finals left to show they have what it takes to achieve it.