At the 1980 AGM, Eddie Sanderson stood down from the position of Honourary Secretary, making way for Douglas Barnett. Ian Haggarty was appointed representative to the East of Scotland Football Association.

In season 1981-82, the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup was won after Vale beat Civil Service Strollers 2-0 at Ferguson Park, Rosewell. The weather was very severe over winter and no football was possible for six weeks during December 1981 and January 1982. It was during this time, on 10th January, that a temperature of -18 degrees was recorded in Innerleithen!

Sadly Vale hit a financial crisis at this time and the players who played as amateurs rallied round and refused to accept expenses for the last six weeks of the season, thereby keeping the club alive, but Vale had to withdraw from the City Cup semi-final, away to Berwick Rangers, due to lack of money.

Having survived and augmented funds during the close season, season 1982-83 started off with a lot of hope. A good run in the Scottish Qualifying Cup saw Vale win against Annan Athletic 1-0 away, then Edinburgh University 4-0, also away. The Third Round saw a visit from Burntisland Shipyard and Vale won easily 6-0. In the semi-final Hawick Royal Albert were dispatched 3-1 in Innerleithen, setting up yet another final meeting with Gala Fairydean. Losing finals to Gala seemed to be becoming a bit of a habit for Vale, and once again after another two-legged final, the men in black and white triumphed 5-3 on aggregate.

Having qualified for the Scottish Cup, Vale were drawn at home to Stranraer. Due to heavy snow the game had to be put back a week to the 18th of December. The game ended in a goalless draw and with two Saturdays having been used up, the replay was set for the Monday night in Stranraer. Heavy rain made conditions very difficult at Stair Park, but both teams put on a very good game. Vale had the better of the first half, but two second half goals saw the game end in Stranraer's favour.

In the Scottish Qualifying Cup of 1983-84, Vale beat Girvan Amateurs 3-0 at home in the First Round. In the Second Round Whitehill Welfare were the opposition and after a 1-1 draw, Vale won the replay 3-2. Hawick Royal Albert were beaten 2-1 in the Third Round and Spartans 3-2 in the semi-final. This set up a meeting in the by now single game final with - oh no! - Gala Fairydean, who duly won their fifth final against Vale 3-2. The Scottish Cup saw a visit to Cowdenbeath where, on a frosty pitch, the hosts were flattered by the final scoreline of 3-0.

In 1984-85, Vale were put out of the Scottish Qualifying Cup beaten 3-0 by Civil Service Strollers at Muirhouse, but did much better in the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup. They took revenge on Civil Service Strollers 2-0 at home in the First Round, then Hawick Royal Albert - who must have been as sick of the sight of us in cup-ties as we were of Gala - were beaten 5-3 in the Second Round, also at home. Postal United were sent home after a first-class 3-2 victory, leaving a final appearance against Whitehill Welfare which Vale lost 2-0. Vale finished the season in 4th place in the league and manager Finlay Watson resigned owing to health reasons. He was replaced by Peebles born ex-player Danny O'Donnell.

In season 1985-86, Vale reached the Third Round of the Scottish Qualifying Cup by winning two away ties 2-0 against Burntisland Shipyard, then 9-0 against Tarff Rovers. The opposition in the Third Round was Threave Rovers and Vale were unlucky to lose 2-1 at Castle Douglas, owing to a last-minute goal. In the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup Civil Service Strollers were beaten 3-2, before a 5-1 semi-final defeat to Gala Fairydean ended Vale's interest.

Vale ended this season's League campaign in 4th place again and won the King Cup for the sixth time - 26 years after their previous triumph. In the First & Second Rounds, replays were needed to beat Spartans and Gala Fairydean before a single goal victory over Whitehill Welfare in the semis booked a final place. The final was at Netherdale, against Hawick Royal Albert and after extra time and the scores still tied at 2-2, it went to penalty kicks, which Vale won 5-4.

David Cowe had resigned as Chairman in 1985, due to ill-health and had been appointed Honourary President. The club was greatly saddened when Mr Cowe died on 24th February 1986. His greatest legacy is the Victoria Park pavilion, which he did so much to make a reality. Eddie Sanderson took over the position of Honourary President.

Season 1986-87 saw another change of manager as business commitments made it impossible for Danny O'Donnell to continue performing the role, so ex-Hibs player Mervyn Jones was appointed, with John Smith assisting him in the role of coach. Ex-manager Finlay Watson had been tempted out of retirement by Coldstream and brought his new charges to Victoria Park in the Second Round of the Scottish Qualifying Cup. With the Vale team still mainly made up of players signed by Watson, it was a tense affair and Vale eventually won through with the only goal of the game. Vale then beat Civil Service Strollers 2-0 at Muirhouse in the Third Round, then Annan Athletic 2-1 at Galabank in the semi-final. Netherdale was again the venue for the final and Whitehill Welfare provided the opposition. Many people considered Vale the better team in the final, but it's goals that count and the men from Rosewell won 1-0. In the Scottish Cup Vale had a trip to Kirkcaldy to play Raith Rovers. In a game closer than the scoreline suggested and played in front of 1,355, the hosts won through 4-0.

Season 86-87 also saw Vale winning the East of Scotland League Championship for the third time in their history and they made it a double as they retained the King Cup. Away wins of 3-1 against Heriot-Watt University and 3-0 against Craigroyston led to a semi-final against Easthouses Lily at Innerleithen. Having overcome them 4-3, Vale found themselves again in a final against Whitehill Welfare, who won the toss for home advantage. At Rosewell, Vale turned on one of their best displays of the season, with an emphatic 5-1 win.

In season 1987-88, in the Scottish Qualifying Cup Vale saw off Coldstream 1-0 away, then Annan Athletic 4-1 in a replay after a 1-1 draw at Annan. The semi against Threave Rovers at Victoria Park was comprehensively won 7-0, to set up yet another final with Gala Fairydean. The final, played at Galashiels, was a bad-tempered affair, which led to Vale being reduced to 10 men and Gala winning 3-0. Vale had to give up the King Cup after falling to Kelso at the semi-final stage, and couldn't retain the championship, finishing second place in the League.

After the success of the previous few seasons, 1988-89 was a real disappointment with a poor league campaign leading to Vale suffering relegation for the first time since the East of Scotland League had been divided into a Premier Division and a First Division. Another cause of sadness was the death of Finlay Watson, the Coldstream and ex-Vale manager, in May 1989. A terrific crowd turned out to pay their last respects at his funeral service at Mortonhall, with many failing to gain admission to the chapel.

At the start of season 1989-90 manager Mervyn Jones brought in another ex-Hibs player John Murphy to replace John Smith who had moved to Aberdeen. Ex-manager Danny O'Donnell had also returned to help with the coaching. In the Scottish Qualifying Cup Vale made it to the semi-finals to ensure participation in the Scottish Cup proper and were handed a home tie against East Stirlingshire. Vale opened the scoring in front of a crowd of 360, but 'Shire pulled level just before half time and in the second half went on to complete a 3-1 victory.