An opportunity to prove to himself and others what he is made of. That is how Brad Raiker views his spell at Vale.

Despite struggling with some injuries he has managed to do that in the games that he has played, showing himself to be equally adept at right back or in midfield.

“When given the opportunity to join the Vale I jumped at it. This move his given me the opportunity to get some much needed game time and match fitness. I also know a lot of the lads well and knew I was coming to a good footballing side and a great bunch of lads.

“I feel the move has been a good one despite a couple of small injuries I have picked up. I feel I have showed to myself and others that I am well capable of performing well at this level. Working alongside players like Cloudy (Keith McLeod), (Kevin) Motion and Robbie Manson has been great, all players who have been very successful at this level, you can always learn from them in training and on match day.

“The training has been excellent too, the Vale lads take training very seriously and I think Chris is very well assisted by Sean Taylor who is a brilliant fitness coach. He has helped me with a gym programme to get myself back to full fitness and strength.”

Like his team-mate Blair Atkinson he wants to succeed at Spartans. Going out on loan is a chance to play regularly an impress and prove to your parent club you are good enough, it’s ultimately the reason most players do it.

However, Raiker did admit that he would be open to playing at Vale if that did not work out. In fact, they would be his first choice after Spartans.

He explained: “As for what next season holds, that is something that will be discussed in the next two or three months but ideally my goal is to get back into the Spartans squad. I went through a difficult period outside of football last year and my head wasn’t really in the right place which had a big effect on my football and threw me off for a while, but now I am more motivated than ever to go back there and show I am good enough.

“If I was not a Spartans player I would most likely be a Vale player. I have been made to feel very welcome here and appreciate the club and everyone involved with it. I feel the Vale are a club who are only looking up and will be looking to challenge at the top end of the table in the next couple of seasons.”

A quick look at the Lowland League scoring charts will tell you that Blair Atkinson’s loan at Vale of Leithen is going well, and the striker insists it has been even more profitable than he anticipated.

When he joined from Spartans at the start of the season he said he was looking to gain experience of playing in the Lowland League. He quickly found his feet and after finding the net regularly, his deal was extended until the end of the season.

He now has 14 goals for Vale, an indication that he has picked up more than just league experience.

Atkinson said: “The loan is going much better than I thought. It’s giving me everything I need, playing 90 minutes a lot and getting a feel for the league for when I go back to Spartans.

“Playing in the Lowland League has given me loads of experience and I feel I’m getting better. Scoring goals adds loads to confidence and is making me better also.”

Initially only here until Christmas, it was quickly decided that he would see the season out at Victoria Park. He still harbours ambitions of making it at his parent club, whether that be next season or in the future.

When asked about his plans for next season and whether there was a chance of another season on loan he was non-committal, insisting that the priority is the here and now.

“For all I know Spartans are keen for me back next year after doing well here at the Vale but for just now I’m fully committed to playing and and scoring for Vale of Leithen and trying to get them as high up as I can.”

Wherever he ends up, someone will have a proven goalscorer on their hands.

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)