Former Lincoln City head coach Mark Kennedy has shot up the betting odds to become the favourite to take over Port Vale manager.
Kennedy is now a 6/4 favourite to take the Port Vale job after Andy Crosby was sacked a few days ago.
He passes Gareth Ainsworth in the odds, who was the previous favourite before the former Republic of Ireland international surged up the betting figures, as reported by the Yorkshire Post.
The 47-year-old was dismissed by Lincoln in October after a defeat to Burton Albion. Signing in 2022, he led the Imps to a mid-table finish in his first full campaign as a head coach.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester City and Liverpool player made his managerial debut for Macclesfield, but had his first experience in first-team management cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kennedy has spent time coaching in various academies, including at Manchester City, Wolves and Ipswich Town. He also assisted Lee Bowyer at Championship outfit Birmingham City.
Latest betting odds from Bet Victor place Kennedy above the likes of Gary Bowyer, David Dunn and Mark Bonner.
It comes after Andy Crosby was sacked at the end of a poor run. The Valiants won just one of Crosby’s last eight games in charge, with his final outing as Vale manager coming in a 3-0 loss to then bottom-placed Fleetwood Town.
Results in Tuesday night’s games have dropped Port Vale into the relegation zone, one point behind Reading.
Writer’s View:
Mark Kennedy was one of the names that almost made it onto my ‘Five Potential Port Vale Managers’ list, but he just missed the cut.
I have a soft-spot for Kennedy, interviewing and speaking to him while he was the head coach at Lincoln City.
He’s a good League One manager, who can build a solid team around a strong defensive base. That could be exactly what Port Vale need to get them out of the relegation scrap that they find themselves in.