You keep faith, we’ll keep working and hopefully Vale of Leithen will start – then keep – winning next season, says skipper James Flynn in message to fans

The Innerleithen outfit will be joining Peebles Rovers and Coldstream in the East of Scotland Football League’s second division next season after losing all 28 of their games in the last one, wrapped up with a 4-1 defeat at home to Lochore Welfare on Tuesday, conceding 138 goals along the way.

That left them on minus-three points, 16 adrift of second-bottom Oakley United at the foot of the table and 36 from safety.

Vale’s relegation this summer, their third on the bounce, comes just two years after going up against the likes of Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic, Bo’ness United, Gala Fairydean Rovers, Kelty Hearts and Edinburgh’s Spartans over the course of nine years in the Scottish Lowland Football League.

They departed the pyramid system’s fifth tier in 2022 after ending up at the bottom of the table, on five points from 34 games that time round, for the third year on the trot, having been spared the drop hitherto because both previous seasons were cut short by Covid-19 restrictions.

The EoSFL’s premier division didn’t suit the Victoria Park club any better as they ended up bottom of its standings too last summer, on minus-six points from 30 fixtures, but former Falkirk youth player Flynn and his dad Ian, Vale’s manager since March last year, are now setting their sights on avoiding the same fate as fellow Borderers Hawick Royal Albert, now in the EoSFL’s third division following their relegation from the Lowland League in 2018.

“Now we’re moving onto another season, we’ll be working as hard as possible to get the club playing and performing to as high as standard as we can next season, hopefully being a lot more competitive and getting as many points on the board as possible,” said the 27-year-old in a message to fans on the club’s Facebook page.

Flynn also thanked fans for keeping faith in the face of scorelines capable of testing the loyalty of less committed supporters such as hidings by 10-1 at home to Leith Athletic this month and hosting Whitburn in October, 9-0 away to Dunipace in August and 8-0 in the reverse fixture in April and 7-0 at home to St Andrews United and away to Kirkcaldy and Dysart, both this month.

“Regardless of results, even some of the terrible, terrible scorelines we’ve had this season, I’ve genuinely seen nothing but praise, positivity and encouragement and it doesn’t go unnoticed – in fact, I think it’s what’s kept a few people going through some of the harder times this season, so it really genuinely is appreciated,” he said.

Flynn told of his gratitude to officials at the club too, adding: “I want to massively thank all the boys on the committee and the boys that work behind the scenes.

“The club’s run absolutely brilliantly by these really hard-working, dedicated guys and they make players’ lives a breeze.

“They are there for us through it all and haven’t missed a beat all season.”

Flynn’s message also quoted the club motto – ‘keep faith, keep working, keep winning’ – and though they’ve had to settle for the first two out of that three not being too bad this campaign, they also enjoyed one fleeting taste of winning, offering hope for the future, in the form of a 4-1 East of Scotland Football League Cup first-round victory away to Edinburgh Community in March.

That was their first win since they beat Blackburn United 3-0 at home in May 2023 in the premier division but Flynns junior and senior are now hoping they won’t have to wait another ten months for their next one and that there’ll be more where that came from come next season.

Forward Flynn joined Vale in July last year after previously playing for Whitehill Welfare, Newtongrange Star and Edinburgh United.