28/01/12 Leith Athletic v Vale of Leithen - Match Postponed
Overnight sub-zero temperatures and a hard morning frost put paid to this East of Scotland Premier Division clash at Muirhouse, along with most other East of Scotland games. Only three fixtures - King Cup First Round clashes at Eyemouth and on the 3G pitches at Spartans and Gala - went ahead.

21/01/12 Vale of Leithen 2-1 Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale
It was another late show from Vale in this East of Scotland Premier Division match, although this time they went one better. A late penalty from Jordan Hall had gained a point at Tynecastle the previous week, but on this occasion strikes from Scott Devlin and Jamie Paterson in the final three minutes of normal time made sure of maximum points. With Ryan McKenzie suspended after his red card the previous Saturday, there was a defensive reshuffle, with new signing Steven Robertson coming in for his first start at the centre of defence, Paterson moving across to right back and Jamie Lauder, who had played the last few games in the centre of midfield, filling in at left back. The gap left by Lauder in the middle was plugged by Scott Devlin, while Stephen Sproule once again deputised on the right side of midfield for Andy Martin, who was unavailable due to work commitments. The game was ten minutes late in kicking off after the referee expressed concerns over the clash of Vale's navy socks with Lothian's black ones. Hence there was a delay as Vale unearthed some red socks to avoid problems. No sooner had the game kicked off than Vale's game plan suffered a blow - just seconds into the action, Jordan Hall went in for a challenge and picked up an injury in the process. After some treatment it was obvious that Hall couldn't continue, so Chris Beaton joined the action a bit earlier than he would have anticipated in what was a straight swap position-wise. Both teams demonstrated that they had brought their shooting boots with them as a long-range drive from Lothian's Alan McDonaugh hit the outside of the post, while Vale's John Fergsuon sent in a drive that was beaten away by keeper Kevin Swain and fell just wide of Scott Moffat following up. Vale appeared to be carrying slightly more of an attacking threat though and Ferguson shot over after a nice turn to lose his marker, before they had the ball in the net when Paul Greenhill threaded a ball through for Moffat to find the target, but a late flag for offside ruled the strike out. Lothian were not out of it by any means and a Joe Murray free kick was well held by Vale keeper Chris Hill after it bounced awkwardly in front of him before Lothian made one count in the 34th minute. A corner was only partially cleared and a ball chipped back into the penalty area caught the Vale defence on the turn and fell to Murray, whose powerful strike was blocked by Hill but rolled into the path of McDonaugh following up, who stroked the ball into the net to send Lothian ahead. The start of the second half saw Moffat find the net again, only for another offside decision to go against him. Sproule set Ferguson racing off down the right, but his cross was met in the middle by Paterson, who scooped the ball over the bar. At the other end, Murray did well to get a cross in despite the attentions of Greenhill and found Kevin Lee in the middle, but his effort was met by a good save from Hill. The rebound fell to Lloyd Dignan, but he sent his shot over the bar. A good run by Vale's Moffat ended with him feeding the ball out wide to Lauder and his cross was headed over by Steve Radzynski. The end-to-end action continued as Lothian substitute Craig Stewart sent in a dangerous cross, but Hill came of his line well to snatch the ball from the feet of Murray. Lee then hit a great shot that was swerving into the postage stamp before Hill leapt acrobatically to turn it behind. It was starting to look like Vale's efforts might be in vain, but the Innerleithen side have never failed to score at least once in a competitive match this season and in the 87th minute they found an equaliser as Ferguson hammered a cross towards the back post and Devlin was there to volley home. The clock was showing exactly 90 minutes when they grabbed the winner. A Lauder free kick was floated into a crowded penalty area and fell for Paterson. You have to say that Swain did extremely well even to get a hand to Paterson's drive towards the bottom corner but such was the ferocity of the shot, he could only divert it into the roof of the net. It was Paterson's first goal for the club and it left Lothian, having come so close to getting something from the match, utterly deflated.
Vale of Leithen: Chris Hill; Jamie Paterson, Jamie Lauder, Steven Robertson, Paul Lee, Paul Greenhill, Stephen Sproule (Steve Radzynski 63), Scott Devlin, Scott Moffat, John Ferguson, Jordan Hall (Chris Beaton 3).
Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale: Kevin Swain; Scott Wallace, Kevin Lee, Conor McDiarmid, Paul Crawford, Richie Wilkes, Lloyd Dignan (Craig Fell 76), Fraser Lynes, Joe Murray, Alan McDonaugh (Craig Stewart 68), Craig Stevenson (Connelly 84).
Referee: Alan Mulvanny. Assistant Refrees: Frank Campbell & Steven Queen.

14/01/12 Tynecastle 3-3 Vale of Leithen
A Jordan Hall penalty three minutes into injury time rescued a point for Vale at Fernieside in this incident-packed East of Scotland Premier Division clash to ensure that it wasn't a losing start for new Vale boss Jamie Burrell. In truth, both teams would have been disappointed with only a point, as Tynecastle must have thought they had done enough for a win after being reduced to nine men. For Vale, a failure to capitalise on spells of intense pressure in either half, particularly when they spent the final 38 minutes of play with a numerical advantage was hard to bear. But this was one of those games where it was impossible to predict what would happen next. The order of the six goals saw Vale in front twice and Tynecastle pegging them back each time before edging ahead with 12 minutes remaining. Add an own goal, a goalkeeping error, two penalties and three red cards into the mix and you had a game that may not have been a classic in terms of the football played, but it was certainly never dull. Vale showed one change from the team that lost to Spartans the previous week, with Andy Martin available again and replacing Stephen Sproule on the right of midfield. The Fernieside pitch was a bit bumpy in places but otherwise conditions were perfect with no wind and the temperature relatively mild for a January afternoon. Vale made a good start to the game, with John Ferguson chipping a chance just over before Scott Moffat tested Tynie keeper Steven Vannet with a low shot. In the 17th minute Vale went ahead, when a Jamie Lauder corner was flicked on by Moffat and Ferguson was there to glance a header inside the far post. It didn't look like it was going to be the only goal of the game either as Vale continued to put pressure on the home side's goal, forcing a series of corners which were causing Tynecastle no end of problems. A superb 20 yard rocket by Ferguson was met by a tremendous save from Vannet, the goalkeeper showing a strong wrist to tip the ball over. Moffat was brought down by Darren Aird at the edge of the area and as Lauder took a free kick that flew over, Eddie Mearns was booked for encroachment. The retake saw Lauder this time put it wide of the post. Another free kick by Lauder was punched away by Vannet, falling to the inrushing Martin, but the Tynecastle keeper did well to block Martin's powerful follow-up strike. Tynecastle hadn't been seen as much of an attacking force, so when they grabbed an equaliser in the 33rd minute, it could certainly be described as against the run of play. A free kick from wide on the right was hit low and hard across the goalmouth by Robbie Arthur in the hope that some sort of contact might bring a goal, and he was correct as the unfortunate Lauder stuck out a foot and could only watch in horror as the ball flew into his own net to make the scores level at the break. Vale started the second half in much the same fashion as the first, with Ferguson cutting inside from the left to curl a shot onto the post with Vannet beaten. Tynecastle replied with a Kevin Brown shot that drifted wide. However, the second half was only seven minutes old when Tynecastle's Ewan MacIntosh received a straight red card following an off-the-ball incident with Moffat. Vale retook the lead seven minutes later when Vannet rose unchallenged to collect a Lauder corner and unfortunately fumbled the ball to allow Ferguson to nod home his second of the afternoon from a couple of yards out. Tynecastle's challenge appeared to be on the brink of collapse, but they equalised just two minutes later as the Vale defence were slow to react to a break of the ball that allowed Arthur to take possession inside the box. Arthur took advantage of the space afforded to him by spinning to hit a superb shot across keeper Chris Hill and into the far corner of the net. At the other end, Vale's Ryan McKenzie ran onto a Hall lay-off to crack a shot on target, but Vannet again did well to divert the effort behind. The resulting corner was floated into the goalmouth by Martin and appeared to be sneaking in, but Aird was handily placed on the line to head clear. The clearance fell to Lauder, but his attempt on goal flew narrowly over. With the clock showing 70 minutes, Mearns brought McKenzie down just outside the area and earned his second booking from referee Wes Boulstridge to leave Tynecastle with only nine men on the pitch. At this point Vale were obvious favourites to go on and win, but Tynecastle upset the odds by showing great determination to get back into the game and put themselves in front for the first time in the 78th minute. A Daniel MacAleavy cross from the right fell invitingly for Aird, but as he stretched to reach the ball McKenzie clattered into the back of him and the result was a red card for the Vale defender and a penalty for the home side, which was easily converted by Arthur. Tynecastle's only thought now was to protect their lead and a superbly organised defence seemed to have done its job until the 93rd minute when Kevin Morrison sent Ferguson crashing to the deck as he worked his way into the penalty area and Mr Boulstridge again indicated a penalty. Hall was entrusted with the spot kick and sent it high into the net to bring the teams level for the third time and ensure a share of the points.
Tynecastle: Steven Vannet; Ewan MacIntosh, Daniel MacAleavy, Kevin Morrison, Jamie Speed, John Williams, Eddie Mearns, Charles MacAleavy, Kevin Brown (Jordan Caddow 52), Darren Aird, Robbie Arthur (Ousman See 89).
Vale of Leithen: Chris Hill; Chris Beaton, Ryan McKenzie, Jamie Paterson, Paul Lee, Paul Greenhill, Andy Martin, Jamie Lauder (Scott Devlin 70), Scott Moffat (Steve Radzynski 79), John Ferguson, Jordan Hall.
Referee: Wes Boulstridge.

13/01/12 Robbie Bound For Berwick
Manager Robbie Horn has left Victoria Park after being appointed assistant manager at SFL Third Division side Berwick Rangers. The move sees Robbie return to the club he spent six years at as a player before joining Vale in the summer of 2010. Initially arriving at Victoria Park as player/coach, within a month at the club he found himself manager following the exit of Stewart Churchill and took charge of the side for the first time on 24th of August 2010 when Vale were defeated 2-0 by Spartans in Edinburgh. Ironically, Robbie's final game in charge last Saturday was also at Ainslie Park. In total, Robbie oversaw 50 competitive games as manager, with the team winning 24 of those games, drawing 10 and losing 16. Earlier this season, the team embarked on a memorable 11-game winning run which included Scottish Cup victories over Girvan and Cove Rangers. The approach from Berwick was described by Horn as, "an offer I couln't turn down," and he now becomes assistant to Ian Little at Shielfield. While disappointed to lose Robbie, everyone at the Vale is delighted at the chance this has given him to step up a level and continue his managerial development and it goes without saying that everyone wishes Robbie all the best in his new role. The club have moved quickly to appoint Robbie's former assistant Jamie Burrell as manager, where he will be assisted by coach Colin Affleck. Having now spent over a year at Vale and with previous managerial experience at Bonnyrigg Rose U-21s and East of Scotland club Craigroyston, Jamie was considered the only candidate to take over and we are delighted that he has accepted the job.

07/01/12 Spartans 3-1 Vale of Leithen
Vale kicked off 2012 with a defeat in this East of Scotland Premier Division clash at Ainslie Park that was largely attributable to a disappointing first half performance which saw the home side all but secure the the three points inside the first 45 minutes. Although it was a much-improved display by the Innerleithen side after the break, the league leaders never really looked in danger of giving up their advantage. Vale were without Mark Wilson, Ricky Miller and Andy Martin, while midfielder Liam McKenna had returned to Newtongrange Star following the end of his loan spell. John Ferguson was preferred upfront to Steve Radzynski, who joined Scott Devlin on the bench and Stephen Sproule was pushed forward to a place on the right side of midfield, with Chris Beaton coming back into the starting line-up at right back. Spartans were not at full-strength themselves, with Donal Henretty out and Gavin Malin and Jack Beesley only fit enough for the bench, although they handed a first start to former Alloa Athletic midfielder John Grant. Spartans pushed forward from the first whistle and took an early lead when Omar Kader chipped a cross from the left onto the head of Robbie Manson, who glanced a header into the far corner. Although taking nothing away from the execution of the goal, from a Vale point of view the lack of a challenge on the Spartans captain when the cross came in made Manson's task easy. Manson was off target shortly afterward, when a defensive mistake let Spartans' Keith McLeod in. His ball into the middle was allowed to run by Kader into Manson's path, but his attempt flew well wide. Chris Anderson then crossed for McLeod to rattle the crossbar with a volley. The difference between the teams was amply illustrated when they weren't in possession. The home side defended from the front, every player hunting the ball down and pushing Vale back to defend deeper than they wanted to, while Vale were content to stand off Spartans until the ball made it into their own half. In the 36th minute, Spartans extended their lead when Ali MacKinnon headed a Dean Hoskins corner into the net. MacKinnon had to contend with slightly more attention than Manson had received at the first goal, but it was still a disappointing goal to concede from a set-piece. Vale at last started to get forward a bit and make Chris Flockhart work, with the keeper coming out well to claim a free kick floated into the area by Jamie Lauder. Another Lauder free kick was only half cleared and fell to Vale captain Paul Lee at the edge of the area, who hit a fizzing volley on target which was met by a tremendous save by the Spartans number one, diving smartly to his left to tip the ball behind. But with five minutes of the first half remaining, Spartans took a three goal lead when an Anderson shot took a wicked deflection to wrong-foot keeper Chris Hill, who could do nothing to prevent the ball from crossing the line. In the sides' Qualifying League meeting on the opening day of the season at Victoria Park, Vale had clawed bacl a two-goal Spartans lead for a draw, but a second half recovery from three goals down on Spartans' own patch looked unlikely. Even so, Vale showed a much better appetite for the game in the second period, with Paul Geenhill sending a ball into the Spartans area for Scott Moffat to run on to, but as the striker tried to work out space for a shot he was crowded out. Vale did pull a goal back on 57 minutes when Moffat was hauled down just outside the area by Kevin Sivewright and Lauder stepped up to superbly curl the resulting free kick over the wall and in off the bar. Unfortunately Lauder had to leave the action due to injury shortly after, with Scott Devlin taking his place. Vale also withdrew Sproule and threw on Radzynski in an effort to find a second goal which would have caused Spartans a bit of concern. Jordan Hall set up Radzynski for a run on goal, but the substitute snatched at the shot and it flew over. Ferguson then went closer with an angled drive that cleared the crossbar by a matter of inches, but ultimately there was no way through for Vale.
Spartans: Chris Flockhart; Danny O'Donnell, Dean Hoskins, Kevin Sivewright, Ali MacKinnon, John Grant, Omar Kader, Robbie Manson, Kerr Dodds (Jack Beesley 53), Keith McLeod, Chris Anderson.
Vale of Leithen: Chris Hill; Chris Beaton, Ryan McKenzie, Jamie Paterson, Paul Lee, Paul Greenhill (Steven Robertson 89), Stephen Sproule (Steven Radzynski 70), Jamie Lauder (Scott Devlin 67), Scott Moffat, John Ferguson, Jordan Hall.
Referee: Michael McGill. Assistant Referees: Darrel Lamb & Gavin Kennedy.