Match Preview: Sitrling Uni – Gaffer raring to go after recharging the batteries

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A four week break from football for Vale comes to an end tomorrow when the University of Stirling visit, and the time out has given the team an opportunity to recharge the batteries and work on the training pitch.

The last match for the Innerleithen side was the January 7 defeat to Gala Fairydean Rovers. The postponement of an away fixture with Hawick Royal Albert along with a match with East Kilbride being moved forward to earlier in the season, and a scheduled free week, has given the players four weeks off from competitive football.

Manager Chris Anderson said: “It (the break) has come at a very good time.

“We obviously were on a bad run of results so I think it’s given us a chance to refresh things a little bit, add to the squad and the boys have worked really hard over the last couple of weeks..

“It has given us vital time on the training pitch to work on a couple of things.”

In the intervening period since the Gala match, three friendlies have been arranged to give some players much needed game time.

A 6-2 win over Edinburgh Amateur side St.Bernards was followed up by a 4-3 defeat to Edinburgh South Vics and a 3-3 draw with East of Scotland side Leith Athletic.

Anderson was pleased with the chance to play these matches and believes it has been profitable for his men.

He said: “The friendlies have been good. It’s been a good exercise – it’s always good to get a feel for playing again.

“A lot of players haven’t played many minutes so it was good to just get them on the pitch and get a feel for it again. So it was a worthwhile few games.”

Things are markedly different for both Vale and Stirling from when the two sides last met in the league. Vale had enjoyed a steady start to the season, while the students had been indifferent by their standards, and Ando’s men recorded a wonderful 4-0 away win.

Now though, as a result of a slump in form, Vale are only four places from the bottom of the table while Stirling sit fifth top having been galvanised.

The manager remains undaunted and he added: “We’ll approach the game like we do all the time. We’ll try and be as positive as we possibly can.

“We”ll have a few more players available and have almost a full strength team to choose from so I think we’ll look forward to the game.

“It’s a very tight, competitive league. There’s not much difference between the teams with the exception of perhaps the top two so there’s no reason with a few wins and a bit more confidence that we can’t climb the league and that’s what we”ll be aiming to do.”

Hawick match postponed

The Ferrari Packaging Lowland League fixture against Hawick Royal Albert which was originally scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed due to snow. We will update with the re-scheduled date as soon as possible.

Match Preview: Gala FR – Competition for places set to boost Vale for rest of season

Vale’s squad has been boosted by three additions ahead of the derby against Gala Fairydean Rovers, and Chris Anderson is hoping increased competition for places can help them kick on in 2017.

The signings of midfielder Andy Martin, defender Craig McBride and a loan deal for Hibs youngster Ali Smith have been completed and all three go into the squad for Saturday’s match, after the former two featured last weekend.

A thin squad has been tested to the limit over the last few months with the subs bench looking very thin in some matches, forcing the manager to move to strengthen his hand. And he is hopeful that bulking his squad with the addition of quality will be the catalyst for a return to form after a poor run.

He said: “It’s a new year and we are certainly looking ahead to what we can achieve in 2017. For the first time in a long while we have a squad available to choose from and we also welcome some new signings into our match day squad.

“Competition for places is important for any team and now we have strengthened we can look forward to some positive results. The players and coaching staff are embracing the challenge of the Lowland League and what better way to start than a Border derby against our biggest rivals Gala.”

The 5-1 victory over Hawick Royal Albert on Hogmanay has elevated Gala ahead of Vale for the first time this season, and they are now the highest positioned Borders team in 11th.

Results on the whole have been up and down with highlights including the derby wins over Hawick and Vale, a 3-2 victory over Spartans and a 3-1 Scottish Cup triumph over the Highland League’s Fraserburgh, earning a plum tie against Elgin City.

However, there was the ignominy of a 10-1 thrashing by East Stirlingshire and a 7-1 reverse against Selkirk, a deficit which Vale can of course now empathise with.

 

 

Martin vows to work hard to repeat success

Andy Martin is convinced he and his new Vale team-mates can quickly shoot back up the Lowland League table.

The midfielder has signed on for a second spell at the club after leaving Whitehill Welfare and joins a team in the middle of a sticky patch. His second debut resulted in a 6-0 defeat at the hands of bottom of the league Selkirk, but he remains convinced that he has made the right choice in re-joining the club.

Having initially made the short move from Peebles Rovers in 2008, his first spell lasted four years and he was part of the squad which won promotion to the East of Scotland Premier Division in 2009-10. He now feels he is part of a squad which can make some waves of their own.

“I have only had a couple of training sessions and I feel the recent form doesn’t reflect the talent we have in the squad.

“I would say top six would be a great platform to kick on to next season but I don’t see any reason why we can’t do even better.

“The gaffer spoke about hard work, sticking together and rolling the sleeves up and I’m sure if we can do that the results will come. Every team goes through rough spells and it’s the teams that stick together and work hard that get through them”, said Martin.

The Whitehill side he left behind due to work commitments are three league places and four points better off than Vale with two games in hand. Chris Anderson managed to talk him into making a return to Victoria Park and he had no hesitation in moving to a team lower down the table.

He explained: “I had a great four seasons with Whitehill, meeting some really good people and managed to win several trophies along the way. But with work commitments and various other things I started questioning myself and if I had the appetite to keep playing.

“After a short break the manager called me and having known Ando for a long time I knew what sort of squad he would be trying to build and I wanted to be part of it.”