Pope signed a two-year contract with Port Vale in May 2017 after agreeing a settlement with Bury on his contract. Manager Michael Brown said that the signing was a statement of intent for the club. Brown was sacked after a poor start to the 2017–18 season, with Pope only scoring one goal in his first 13 appearances. However he managed to find his form under new manager Neil Aspin, scoring five goals in Aspin's first three games as manager to help Vale to pick up back-to-back wins; this included a brace in a 3–1 win over Cheltenham Town that saw Pope named in the EFL team of the week. He went on to be nominated for the League Two Player of the Month award for October, having claimed five goals and one assist in five games. After winning the award, he stated that it "is a reflection on my team mates, how hard they have worked and the chances they have created for me". He was appointed club captain in December. The club turned down a bid of £25,000 from Coventry City during the January transfer window. Speaking at the end of February, Aspin said Pope had been playing through a hernia injury since Christmas and would require an operation in order to return to anything approaching full fitness. He quickly returned from injury and his total of 19 goals was essential in helping the club to avoid relegation; he finished the campaign as the club's top-scorer and was named Port Vale Player of the Year for a record third time.