Vale of Leithen out of East of Scotland Football League second division’s relegation zone after third win on spin
Vale of Leithen are out of the East of Scotland Football League second division’s relegation zone for the first time in months after notching up a third win on the bounce away to Easthouses Lily Miners’ Welfare on Saturday.
That 3-2 victory in Midlothian, following on from wins by 2-1 hosting Harthill Royal the Saturday before and 3-2 away to Coldstream seven days prior to that, lifts manager Ian Flynn’s Innerleithen outfit up two places from second-bottom of the table to 12th, leapfrogging Peebles Rovers, down from 12th to 13th after losing 2-0 away to basement side Harthill at the weekend, and Tweedmouth Rangers, down one to 14th following a 1-0 defeat at home to West Calder United.
Welcoming that upturn in fortunes, club general manager Bobby Craigie said: “The last three weeks have been very encouraging for the club and it’s probably going back to the old EoSFL days when we last won three games in a row.
“Although it’s really good to move out of the relegation places, we are not getting overexcited as we realise that there is a long way to go before the end of the season. However, we are pleased with recent progress, plus the commitment of the management and full squad.”
Vale are now level with gaffer Anthony Ashworth’s Peebles on 18 points from as many fixtures but with a goal difference one better than them, and 11th-placed Dalkeith Thistle are also on 18 points, though they’ve got a game in hand and a goal difference 14 superior to the Victoria Park side.
They were the Borders’ only team in the division to pick up three points from Saturday’s fixture card as eighth-placed Coldstream, now on 26 points from 20 matches, drew 3-3 at home to Kennoway Star Hearts.
Vale’s scorers in Easthouses were Gerry McBride on 24 minutes, Kyle Mitchell on 29 and Yassar Sambo on 44, with Darren Leslie and Louis Swanson netting the other way, on 65 and 87.
On the scoresheet for manager David Brown’s Streamers were Koen Ross on 36 minutes, Michael Allan on 52 and James Paxton on 76, with Bodhi Taylor, Dale Prattis and Sean Johnstone on target for the visting Fifers.
This coming Saturday sees Vale away to Edinburgh College, with kick-off at 3pm, and Peebles hosting Stirling University and Coldstream at Burntisland Shipyard, both 2.30pm kick-offs.
November’s reverse fixtures yielded a 4-3 defeat for Vale at home, a 1-1 draw for Rovers on the road and a 4-1 victory for the Streamers versus Shippy.
A division down, Hawick Royal Albert won 2-1 away to basement side Ormiston Primrose, thanks to goals from Ben Tracey on ten minutes and Harry Fowler on 14, with Pol Adrian replying on 71.
That result leaves manager Kenny Aitchison’s Albert second, on 36 points from 22 fixtures, with Linton Hotspur, out of action at the weekend, third, on 32 from 17.
Both are at home this Saturday, the Royalists to table-toppers Lochgelly Albert and their West Linton rivals, now with Ruairidh Fleming and Paul Currie as co-managers, to Fauldhouse United, both 2.30pm kick-offs.