Fourth relegation on spin for Vale of Leithen after season-ending 5-4 loss hosting Burntisland Shipyard

Nathan Thomson, seen here in possession for Vale of Leithen during a 3-3 draw away to Tweedmouth Rangers in April, scored twice for them during a 5-4 defeat at home to Burntisland Shipyard on Saturday (Photo: Hilary Isaac)Nathan Thomson, seen here in possession for Vale of Leithen during a 3-3 draw away to Tweedmouth Rangers in April, scored twice for them during a 5-4 defeat at home to Burntisland Shipyard on Saturday (Photo: Hilary Isaac)
Nathan Thomson, seen here in possession for Vale of Leithen during a 3-3 draw away to Tweedmouth Rangers in April, scored twice for them during a 5-4 defeat at home to Burntisland Shipyard on Saturday (Photo: Hilary Isaac)
Vale of Leithen’s hopes of averting their fourth relegation on the bounce were dashed by a 5-4 defeat at home to Burntisland Shipyard combined with wins for Harthill Royal and Dalkeith Thistle.

The Innerleithen outfit went into their last weekend of the season hoping to pick up five points but ended up empty-handed, leaving them second from bottom of the table on 28 points from as many fixtures.

The first blow to their hopes of survival was a Scottish Football Association judicial panel upholding an appeal by also-relegated basement side Tweedmouth Rangers against a two-point sanction for fielding an ineligible player during a 3-3 draw at home to Vale in April.

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East of Scotland Football League officials initially ruled that Vale be awarded a 1-0 win, leaving them two points better off, but that decision being overruled last week left them needing a win on Saturday as well as results elsewhere going their way and neither happened.

West Lothian’s Harthill and Midlothian’s Thistle both ended their seasons with 1-0 wins, at home to Coldstream and away to West Calder United respectively, keeping them clear of the division’s two-deep relegation zone.

Harthill ended up third from bottom on 32 points and Dalkeith one place above them on 33.

The division’s two other Borders teams, Coldstream and Peebles Rovers, finished 11th on 34 points and tenth on 35 respectively, the latter after a 0-0 draw away to Bathgate Thistle in West Lothian.

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On target for manager Ian Flynn’s Vale in front of a crowd of 80 at their Victoria Park home ground were Kyle Mitchell from the penalty spot on 42 minutes, Daniel McKinlay, later red-carded, on 78 and Nathan Thomson on 90 and 92.

The visiting Fifers’ goals were scored by Stuart Forster on 22 minutes, Jordan Hunter on 38 and 57 and Michael Gibb on 70 and 81.

Olly Jessimer got Harthill’s goal against manager David Brown’s visiting Streamers.

Vale’s latest tumble down the EoSFL’s tables follows finishing bottom of division one last year on minus-three points from 28 fixtures, at the foot of the premier division in 2023 on minus-six points from 30 matches and in the Scottish Lowland Football League’s basement spot in 2022 on five points from 34 games.

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Their descent from Scottish football’s fifth tier to its ninth echoes that of Hawick Royal Albert, relegated from the Lowland League in 2018 and stuck in the EoSFL’s third division since 2023.

Reflecting on their latest demotion, a club spokesperson said: “An improved second half of the season had seen us move out of the relegation zone after looking doomed at the turn of the year.

“The end-of-season form of Peebles, Harthill and Dalkeith saw them all finish very strongly and our three defeats to finish the season proved costly.

“It’s hard to fault the efforts of any of those who have pulled on a Vale strip but ultimately we haven’t been good enough across the 28 games played.”

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Albert concluded their season with a 4-1 Borders derby win at home to Linton Hotspur on Saturday.

That leaves them fourth in the table on 46 points from 30 fixtures, outwith the top-three guaranteed promotion places but still in with a chance of going up if an extra promotion place becomes available.

Hotspur, already confirmed as going up prior to kick-off, finish the season second to table-toppers Lochgelly Albert on 55 points, with Fauldhouse United third on 49.

On target for manager Kenny Aitchison’s Royalists at Albert Park were Ben Tracey on 78 minutes, Harry Fowler on 83, Lesseni Giuseppe on 87 and Joe Kerr on 94 after Sam Meaney had put co-gaffers Ruairidh Fleming and Paul Currie’s visitors in front on 28.

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