After a difficult start to the season Chris Anderson knows things must be better from Vale, however he is confident that will happen when the squad is at full strength.

Defeats in the last week to Gretna 2008 and Edusport Academy leave the Vale with only one win from five league matches and they are second bottom in the table, above only managerless Hawick Royal Albert. However, the defeats have come in three tough away matches and at home to last season’s champions East Kilbride.

To make things harder many of these matches have been played with a depleted squad, with as many as nine players missing for some of them. Anderson admits that the team have not met his expectations so far but is adamant that the lack of players has been a mitigating factor, and he believes that results will improve when he has his full squad available to him.

He said: “It’s no secret we have had a difficult start to the season and not played anywhere near the level that I expect us to.

“You can put that down to any number of things however it’s clear that when we have a full quota of player in the match day squad we perform better.

“Hopefully now the holiday season is over and injuries are easing up we can begin our climb up the league.”

One man in particular who will make a welcome return is club captain James Elliot. The centre half is an influential member of Anderson’s team and has had no luck with injuries over the last year.

“I would like to say a special mention to our returning captain James Elliot.

“Anyone who has spent time out the game can relate to how frustrating it can be and after nine long months it’s great to see our captain smiling and ready to play”, added the manager.