After the previous season’s top five finish, optimism was high with everyone at the club looking to do even better in season 2002-03. After speculation last season linking top scorer Phil Johnson with Whitehill Welfare, the player did move during the close season, but back to former club Spartans rather than the Rosewell outfit.

Manager Willie Hume felt that goalscoring had been an area of concern though, hence the summer signings included forwards Stuart Dickson from Musselburgh Windsor U-18’s, Kerr Thomson from Pencaitland & Ormiston, Francisco Naviero – famously dubbed, ‘The Italian Spaniard,’ by ex-manager Stuart Robertson – back from Tollcross United for a second spell at the club and local player Jonathan Wardman, who could play in midfield or upfront. There was also a change in the dugout with Jack Diamond taking over the role of player/assistant manager from John Reid.

A pre-season friendly against neighbours Leithen Rovers – which Vale won 3-1 – was followed by games against Under-21 teams from Hibernian and Hearts in the same week. In the Hibs game on Wednesday 24th July, goals from Liam McKenna and Kevin Thomson put the visitors 2-0 up, but Vale replied through Craig Lothian and John McGowan before Derek Riordan notched a winner to make it 3-2 to Hibs. The following Sunday, 28th July, Hearts were the visitors to Victoria Park. A Kerr Thomson volley opened the scoring for Vale after 36 minutes, but shortly before half time Ryan Davidson equalised for the Jambos. No further scoring in the second period saw Vale achieve a respectable draw against a Hearts side who featured future first team players Robbie Neilson, Christophe Berra, Joe Hamill, Robert Sloan and Paul McMullan, plus goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who within two years would establish himself as a Scotland internationalist.

Pre-season preparations over, it was onto the real action, with the opening league fixture a tough away game against Spartans. A superb first half performance saw Vale the better side and Kerr Thomson find the net, although the goal was disallowed for offside. Spartans took the lead through Middlemist against the run of play just before the break and Hoskins added another late on with the final score of 2-0 flattering the capital side.

In the Scottish Qualifying Cup, Vale were drawn to play in the Preliminary Round at home to Tarff Rovers. After only 11 minutes the Kirkcowan side suffered a blow as Ryan Wilson was sent off for fouling Euan Hoy. Goals from Gary Lothian, Kerr Thomson and Fran Naviero put Vale firmly in control. Although Richard Simpson pulled a goal back for Rovers, Darren Lockhart nodded home a fourth to see Vale through to the First Round and a meeting with Gala Fairydean for the second year running.

A thrilling match at Netherdale saw Vale take the lead in 10 minutes as Kerr Thomson continued his good form in front of goal. Ten minutes later ‘Dean levelled when John Martin headed home. In the second half Gala were reduced to nine men as scorer Martin and Aaron Cummings were both dismissed. Vale pounded the home goal and hit the bar and post on several occasions, and even Gala must have been wondering how they’d managed to somehow survive to take the game to a replay the following Saturday.

A large crowd turned out back at Innerleithen in the pouring rain to see Gala take a lead with a deflected John Clark free kick, before Mark Pagliarulo added a second. Substitute John Coogan gave Vale hope, scoring with his first touch, but another sub, Darren Lockhart, was red-carded shortly after coming on and it ended 2-1 to Gala, who progressed to meet Selkirk in the next round.

In the Image Printers Cup, Vale were drawn against Spartans at home. Preparations for the match were not ideal, with manager Willie Hume having to do without Craig Ford, Euan Hoy, Jonathan Wardman and Fran Naviero, while Stuart Dickson played despite struggling with a hamstring problem. John McGowan was also nursing a groin injury, but took his place on the bench as the only substitute. An early Spartans goal from Craig Manson was cancelled out before the break, but in the second period, Vale gifted two soft goals in quick succession to Keith McLeod which finished the match as a contest long before Ross Middlemist added a fourth, to send Vale out at the first hurdle.

In the East of Scotland Premier Division league matches, a bad-tempered home game against Edinburgh City saw Vale snatch a late equaliser, prompting the City assistant manager to petulantly boot the ball out of the ground. Gaining four points in the two matches against Stuart Robertson’s Coldstream side, and two fine victories over local rivals Peebles Rovers lifted the mood, but Vale took a hammering at home from Annan Athletic in a match which saw captain Barry Joyce carted off to hospital with a gash in his foot. Further losses to Gala Fairydean, Whitehill Welfare and Lothian Thistle started to make things look critical as injury, suspensions and unavailability forced Hume to dig deep into his squad.

There was also speculation mounting over the future of star defender Daniel O’Donnell, which eventually led to him joining Spartans in January 2003. In one of those situations which football quite often throws up, Spartans next game was a league fixture at Victoria Park. Despite a gentleman’s agreement between the clubs that O’Donnell would not feature in the line-up, personell problems in the Edinburgh side’s camp led to him being named as substitute and in the 86th minute replacing, ironically, Spartans other ex-Vale player, Phil Johnson. By that time, though, the visitors had put the game beyond Vale and a heavy defeat followed at the hands of Preston Athletic as pressure mounted on the management to turn things round.

In February, Vale were paired at home in the League Cup with Easthouses Lily, a game which saw the return of Hugh Sneddon to try and shore up Vale’s leaky defence. The towering centre-half’s commanding presence didn’t have the desired effect as Vale, who had John McGowan sent off five minutes before half time, ended up lucky to only be beaten 4-0 by Lily, who could even afford the luxury of missing a penalty.
Vale’s exit from the League Cup signalled a sad end to Willie Hume’s two-year reign as manager, as he tendered his resignation to leave his assistant Jack Diamond in charge of team affairs.

Thanks to a bad spell of weather forcing postponements, the newly-installed boss had to wait a full month for his first match in the hotseat – an away fixture at Craigroyston. Things didn’t start too well as the home side went three goals up in 35 minutes. However, in the second half, Vale tore pieces out of Craigroyston, pulling two back and being unlucky not to at least equalise. This seemed to set a pattern for the rest of the season in which Vale performed much better in the second 45 than the first – leaving you wondering if Diamond should have been delivering his half-time team talk before the game!

Jack’s first victory as manager came in a King Cup Second Round tie at Edinburgh Athletic. John Coogan, who had moved from Vale to Athletic, opened the scoring against his old club, but a Kerr Thomson header and a Euan Hoy lob put Vale ahead. Athletic’s Darren McCallum levelled the tie to send it into extra time, during which the home side again drew first blood through a magnificent individual goal from Steven Carney. But Kerr Thomson added his second, before a Fran Naviero brace made it 5-3, to set up a Quarter Final meeting with Coldstream. In another high scoring game, Vale took a three-goal lead into the break. Coldsteam’s Tait reduced the deficit before Vale re-established it, but in a nail-biting end to the game, a Shennan double left Vale hanging on for the final whistle. Reaching the semi-final meant the fourth meeting of the season with Spartans. The Edinburgh side, by now with Daniel O’Donnell a fixture in defence, proved too strong once again as they ran out convincing winners.

However, a hard-fought victory for Vale over Threave Rovers left the Streamers needing to overhaul a goal difference of 18 on the last day of the season, so Vale were safe to fight another year in the Premier League with the management team promising a mass clearout and a very different Vale team next season.