Jason Stevens warned that there is more to come from both him and his Vale team-mates after he made a scoring return in the 3-1 win over Preston.

It was the side’s first match since January 7 thanks to a combination of bad weather and fixture scheduling, and before that they had gone eight matches without winning. Stevens had been missing due to injury and this was his first appearance since the defeat to East Stirling on December 18.

The midfielder, who can also operate up front, insists that despite notching a brace he is not at peak match fitness yet. He also hopes that the team can use the positive result as a springboard for the rest of the campaign.

He said: “I’m happy to be back playing. Saturday was my first game back since before Christmas and it is always good to score a goal or two. I think I need a few more games before I’ll be fully match fit.

“Saturday was a very important win. It was important for the team to get a bit of confidence back after a few disappointing results.”

The next two matches pitch Vale up against two of the league’s top sides in Cumbernauld Colts and Spartans, before the season comes to a close with a run of seven fixtures against teams who are all close by in the table.They will be looking to pick up as many points as possible to haul themselves back into contention for a top half finish.

“We have a tough couple of games coming up against Cumbernauld and Spartans so I think we need to stick together and perform well and try to climb the league to where we were at the start of the season”, added Stevens.

Photo: (Helen Barrington, Peeblesshire News)