Category: East of Scotland First Division

Match Preview: Edin Uni is a big one for Smith

Ali Smith believes the closeness of the two teams’ league positions makes the Vale’s match against Edinburgh University an important one.

The two teams are locked on 34 points in the Lowland League ahead of tomorrow’s clash and so it represents a chance to jump ahead of them and go three points clear.

With only a few games left of the league season, every point is massive as teams scramble to finish as high up as possible. Vale’s season has promised much but also frustrated in equal measure and they will be desperate to finish on as much of a high as possible and prove that they can compete higher up in the league than the table currently shows.

Smith said: “It’s a big game because of how close by the teams are in the league. It should be a tough game because they are ahead of us in the league so it would be good to get a result against them.

“I think we played well against Stirling Uni until the last ten or fifteen minutes when we maybe switched off a bit. So we can be confident of getting a result.

“Since I’ve come in it has been good to get some game time. I’ve been injured for the last couple of weeks so I need to try and get back in.

“But the boys have been doing well and have had some good results.”

The midfielder is currently on loan from Hibs, where he has unfortunately been told he will not be handed a new deal for next season. He revealed that there have been no discussions with regards to a move and as such he is playing to win a future somewhere.

“I’ve been told that I’m not getting a new contract at Hibs. There hasn’t been any chat about getting anything else sorted, so hopefully it’s something that gets sorted in the next few weeks.

“I will just need to keep playing and trying to do well for the rest of the season to try and secure something”, he said.

Vale will be boosted by Wednesday night’s hard fought victory over Whitehill Welfare and will be looking to build momentum. However, the uni also beat Welfare last time out and if the league is anything to go by a close match is in store.

 

Patterson thriving at Vale after goal

Tommy Patterson enjoyed his scoring role in the win over Whitehill Welfare like he has enjoyed the whole season, and he insists that he is looking forward to more of the same next season.

The teenager loves to bomb forward from left back to try and provide ammunition for his team-mates, but found himself on the score sheet when the ball broke to him following a save from visiting keeper Bryan Young.

He is in his first season at both the Vale and in the Lowland League and has thrived on testing himself at this level. With the season in its closing stages, he is already excited about the prospect of another campaign at Victoria Park.

He said: “It’s good to get a run out in the team, I’ve obviously played the last couple of games.

“It’s obviously good to get a goal as well. I’m enjoying it and the step up to Lowland League football has been really promising this year. I’m hoping to keep going with Ando and Vale of Leithen.

“At the start of the season I think we had higher hopes but we had a bad spell during the winter. Hopefully we’ll get back to it during the summer and get back to the best form we could be at.”

It was a tight affair with Whitehill pushing Vale all the way in the second half, forcing the defence and goalkeeper Andy McQueen to stand up and be counted. They did so and that paired with getting two goals during their own good spell won them the match.

“It’s been the same in most of the Lowland League games – everyone is tough opposition so there’s always going to be tight games.

“You’re under the cosh at times in every game but we held it together pretty well and defended solidly from the back, and obviously the front men worked hard as well.

“It gives us motivation. Whitehill have been on a good run in recent weeks, getting results against good teams so hopefully this can push us on.

“We’ve got Hawick next Tuesday – hopefully a Borders derby that we’ll get a win in and hopefully try and push on and get as far up the league as possible and kick on next season”, added Patterson.

 

 

 

 

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Match Report: Vale 2-1 Whitehill Welfare

A battling display saw Vale overcome Whitehill Welfare at Victoria Park, to beat the Rosewell side for the second time this season.

Both sides enjoyed spells on top and Welfare made Vale work very hard for their victory, particularly in the middle part of the second half.

It was the away side who threatened first through Daryl Healy’s volley into the arms of Andy McQueen, and on 11 minutes Vale were in front with their first effort on goal.

It was a cleverly stabbed finish from experienced marksman Keith McLeod, after the ball had fallen to him 18 yards out from Tommy Patterson’s free kick.

They asserted themselves after taking the lead and the midfield trio of Robbie Manson, Ali Smith and Ryan Currie were winning the battle.

McLeod attempted to play in Blair Atkinson, forcing a collision between the top scorer and visiting keeper Bryan Young.

Whitehill responded and Connor McGregor had a low shot deflected into McQueen’s arms.

It remained Vale who looked the most likely to add to their lead before half time, but they just couldn’t make it happen in front of goal.

The closest they came was a teasing ball across the face of goal from ubiquitous Patterson which had no takers on the end of it, and Ryan Currie drove into the box before trying to pick out Craig McBride who could not find the space.

They got their goal six minutes after the restart and it was Patterson who had burst forward from left back once more. Currie sent Jason Stevens in the clear and when his strike was parried by Young, Patterson was waiting.

They were immediately pegged back by a sensational Michael Osbourne free kick which looked like it was heading for the top corner as soon as it left his boot, rendering McQueen redundant.

The game really started to open up with clear cut chances, which had been lacking in the first half, becoming more of a feature.

Welfare substitute Omar Ali had a header saved, and at the other end centre back Steven Lynch was kept out by Young’s legs.

The biggest threat to Vale’s lead was the delivery from set pieces of Connor McGregor. Time and again he launched grenades into the box with only some brave defending and good goalkeeping preventing a leveller.

Ali looked certain to bulge the net when the ball fell to him from yet another McGregor free kick, but McQueen produced a stunning save from his volley.

From the corner, again coming from McGregor, John Williams sent a header wide.

It was Whitehill who were well and truly on top by this stage but Vale stood up to the barrage well, with Lynch and McBride strong at the back and Sean Stewart like a pit bull at right back.

Osbourne came within inches of equaliser after a good run into the box, but his rising shot skimmed the bar twelve minutes from time.

It was getting nervy for the home faithful but with the clock running down the team managed to settle things and give the back four a reprieve by getting the ball up the other end to see the game out.

Liam McIntosh even came close to making it 3-1, but slammed his shot into the side netting from Shaun Stevens’ cross.

 

Vale: McQueen, Stewart, Lynch, McBride, Patterson, Smith (Motion), Manson, Currie, J.Stevens, Atkinson (McIntosh), McLeod (S.Stevens) Not used: Scott-Mercer, Hunter, O’Donnell.

 

Whitehill: Young, Robertson, Williams, McGregor (Russell), Dodds, Ross-Kerr (Ali), Healy, Laing, Osbourne, Samson, Spowart.

Match Preview: Whitehill Welfare – Confidence is key for Smith

Despite Whitehill being several places higher than Vale in the league, Ali Smith believes confidence can be taken from the performance in Saturday’s game against University of Stirling.

Vale matched Stirling, who are also in the upper reaches of the league, all the way until going down to a 90th minute Paul McAfferty winner.

And Hibs loanee Smith said: “I think we played well against Stirling Uni until the last ten or fifteen minutes when we maybe switched off a bit. So we can be confident of getting a result.

“Since I’ve come in it has been good to get some game time. I’ve been injured for the last couple of weeks so I need to try and get back in.

“But the boys have been doing well and have had some good results.”

Manager Chris Anderson echoed his winter signing’s thoughts on Saturdays game.

“We can take positives because everyone worked really hard, but I don’t think there was much quality in the game.

“There wasn’t really that many chances for either side and although we worked hard, it was a lack of concentration in the last 20 minutes of the game that cost us. We just switched off a little bit”, he said.

Whitehill will also be looking to bounce back from a disappointing result at the weekend, as they lost 3-1 at home to Edinburgh University – their third defeat in four matches. Vale can take further heart from the fact that they managed a 2-0 win over Welfare in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

Form

Vale WDWLL

Whitehill WLLWL

Previous meeting this season

WW 0-2 VOL – McIntosh, Motion – (10/09/16)

 

Match Preview: Manager deal buoys Vale for Hawick clash

Vale go into this crucial away game at Hawick buoyed by the news that manager Chris Anderson has signed on for a further two years.

This week the gaffer and his backroom team of Keith McLeod, Sean Taylor and Mark Beveridge agreed deals to remain in post until the end of the 2018/19 season.

Their players will have to dig in during this Borders derby to get them their first win since signing the new deals. The Vale’s renaissance was brought to a crashing halt by BSC Glasgow last weekend, having won three and drawn one of the previous four matches.

The 6-2 defeat was a hark back to the disastrous run of results earlier in the season when goals were being shipped, a problem that appeared to have been amended.

In the wake of the BSC thumping, an irate Anderson stressed: “That simply isn’t good enough.

“If any of the players think they can just turn up and play out the season like that they won’t be here next season.

“We have high standards at the Vale and we have been playing well, but that was way below the standard we expect.”

In order to prove that they can meet their gaffer’s expectations and keep their place in his squad the players will have to overcome a side who are also trying to impress.

Hawick are below Vale in the table but have recently employed Kevin Milne as manager. They have shown signs of fight since the appointment with a win over Cumbernauld Colts and also running the league’s top sides, East Kilbride and East Stirlingshire, close.