Author: Bobby Craigie

Like racing a Dacia against a Ferrari

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Manager Chris Anderson has challenged his players to defy the odds again and get a result away to big spending Kelty.

We have an excellent spirit in the camp and one of the best groups I’ve worked with in terms of commitment but we will need a bit of luck to go our way on sat.

I was approached by an agent during the week to sign a player – he wanted a big wage and I suspect an avenue to take my job so I said no. What happens is Kelty go and sign him as a squad player. The gulf in finances between the two teams is huge but it won’t stop us giving it our all.

We have Liam Ireland back from suspension and a few more who were unavailable last week. The Christmas period will decide our season for that there is no doubt.  Everyone is writing us off which is fine. Let’s just see where our effort takes us.

The Vale is an original member of the lowland league and one of the oldest clubs in Scottish football and it’s our job to make sure it stays where it belongs.

Home Comforts

Ahead of Saturday’s game against Spartans, Manager Chris Anderson issues a rallying cry to his players to start taking advantage of home turf.

“A lot of teams don’t like playing at Victoria Park, it’s a bit cold and windy and we play on this funny surface we call grass.  In order for us to stay up we have to win our home games against Gretna, Edinburgh Uni and Dalbeattie. We know that Spartans will be a tough game and anything we get will be a bonus as they have a superior team to us. It will be a bit of a shot to nothing for us.

This is by far and away the nicest group of players I have been involved with , young and willing to learn but nice doesn’t win football matches. If we are to stay up we will need to be ruthless and show guts when the chips are down.

Hopefully there will be a good support on sat as I know the locals are desperate for us to do well. They know how hard the players are working for the club and the players have the ability to start winning games.

Keep the faith.

Chris”

Public Meeting – Tuesday 12 Nov, 7.30pm, Vale Club

All supporters and interested parties are invited to a public meeting on Tuesday 12 November 2019, at 7.30pm, in the Vale Club.

The SFA have confirmed that all licensed clubs will require to have floodlights from summer 2020. Failure to do so will result in the license being revoked. This would mean expulsion from the Lowland League, exclusion from participation in the Scottish Cup, loss of SFA Club License grant, and would put the future existence of the club in serious doubt.

The meeting will discuss the floodlight issue, as well as the general lack of satisfactory football facilities in Innerleithen.

Manager Interview: Embrace the Challenge

Manager Chris Anderson gives his thoughts ahead of the Scottish Cup First Round weekend: “The Scottish Cup is the lifeblood of the club in terms of finances but given the start we’ve made to the season I know the importance of it in terms of my own position. It’s not something I will shy away from in fact it’s the reason I became a manager. If you want to avoid pressure or blame then sit on the sidelines and watch don’t put yourself in the firing line. 


The players are here for a reason and I signed them so it’s about giving them the confidence to believe in themselves. Young players need time to make mistakes, need freedom to learn, and when it’s clicks we will have a base of a good team. I still believe I am the man to deliver that success. 


The club haven’t got past the first round since 2013 and face Fort William on Saturday in what will be a tough fixture given Fort William have nine players on loan from ICT.  It’s a challenge at the Vale to do something the club hasn’t done in six years, but I believe we have the players to succeed. We won’t shy away from the challenge, we will embrace it.”