Five losses in a row, no manager, very little money and unrest in the boardroom - this is the current reality at Vale Park.
Turmoil has plagued the club since their relegation from the Championship in 2000, and it only appears to be worsening. 
Former boss, Lee Sinnott was shown the door just seven games into the season following the 4-1 loss to Macclesfield Town.
This has unsettled the supporters, and disappointed the playing staff, who have openly spoken to the media about their admiration of the departed Sinnott.
With the purse strings tighter than ever, it appears that Port Vale are going to promote somebody to the vacant position internally.
Assistant-manager, Dean Glover and youth team coach, Andy Porter are currently in charge of the first team and remain favourites to take over on a full-time basis.
Fans will not be greatly excited by this, especially when considering that Glover took over as caretaker-manager in 2007, recording just two wins in eight games.
Another loss to Gillingham on Saturday has added to the woes of a club in freefall, putting them at their lowest ebb since 1983.
To cap things off, the chairman has now announced his intentions of flogging the distressed Valiants, saying that he has taken them "as far as he can".
Notts County, on the other hand, are presently unbeaten in the last seven league outings and remain on a high after Richard Butcher secured Notts' first victory of the season with a last-gasp header against Aldershot Town.
With the winning feeling refreshed, the players appear upbeat heading into
the game. 
Michael Johnson unveiled his confidence when speaking to the club's official website, stating: "We're unbeaten in seven league games, and we're really looking forward to Port Vale on Saturday now and trying to extend that.
"We know we have to build on the Aldershot result, and hopefully get two or three wins on the trot."
One thing that is going for the home side is their decent record against Notts in recent years, claiming seven wins in the last nine games between the sides.
The most recent of these feats was at Meadow Lane in 2004, where Vale walked away 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Stephen McPhee and Steve Brooker.
Things have changed drastically since then for both teams, with plenty of new arrivals at both camps.
County appear to be finally steadying the ship, with strong foundations in place to progress, whereas Vale face an uncertain future.
With no serious money input from want-away chairman, Bill Bratt - the breakdown of a loan move for Robbie Savage and the refusal to bring in a high-profile manager being prime examples - the outlook is appearing bleak.
Notts need to capitalise on the misfortunes of their upcoming opponents and despite no away win since February, they could be favourites to do so.