New Vale of Leithen boss Michael Wilson makes bold relegation statement after club concedes 149 goals

New head coach Michael Wilson isn’t so sure, however. He left local rivals Peebles Rovers earlier this month to accept the daunting task of keeping the Vale up. People will scoff but he is determined to rally, reorganise and reignite the fire at Victoria Park.

The Borders side have amassed just five points from those 29 matches and sit bottom of the table with a goal difference of minus 139. They are currently playing League Cup section matches and Wilson’s methods appear to be working.

His first game in charge brought a 0-0 draw with Gala Fairydean Rovers before last week’s narrow 1-0 loss against Berwick Rangers. For context, last month Berwick annihilated The Vale 9-0 in Innerleithen. Wilson is striving to inject positivity and take the club on an upward trajectory.

“The plan is to stay up,” he said. “I know folk have laughed at me and will continue to laugh at me, but I firmly believe the boys can do it. Everything is positive and the past is in the past.

“I was told it was a free hit when I came in but that’s not the way I work. I want to go in and actually make an impact. We’ve only lost one goal in two games, whereas in the league we’ve lost 149 goals in 29 games, which is scandalous.

“The club have backed me with a bit of money to stay up. I used to wonder what was going on when I saw their results but they just needed stability. Grant Sandison, my predecessor, installed that initially and I’m trying to bring in a more defensive mindset. The boys have reacted really well so far.

“We’ve brought Kirk Crichton and Ross McLaren in as coaches. We drew 0-0 at home with Gala in my first game and I was told that was the club’s first result of any kind at home since 2019.

“Then we played Berwick and to be honest I was