Royal Albert 0-4 Vale of Leven
Vale Juniors boss Brian Brown paid tribute to centurion Lewis King, as he marked his 100th appearance for the Alexandria club by setting up two goals.
Saturday’s victory over Royal Albert was a third in four games for Brown’s men, and moved them out of the relegation zone.
And boss Brown admitted he’s enjoying watching his side hit form - as he hailed stalwart King for reaching a landmark appearance milestone.
Brian said: “I was really happy with the performance on a difficult park.
“The guys stood up to quite a physical team and scored some really good goals.
“When I looked at the park I wasn’t sure how it would go. But the boys rolled up their sleeves.
“Something we’ve not done all season is string two decent performances together back-to-back, so it was really pleasing to see that.
“You take players like Lewis for granted at times. But when he’s not there we aren’t as strong a team.
“He started off with my under-21s team so I’ve worked with him for a lot of years now. He never misses training, he’s always available on a Saturday.
“He’s been moved about a fair bit this year; from defence to midfield and up front. He never grumbles, he just goes in and does a good job wherever he’s put.
“You get the same performance level off him no matter where he is. He’s been a real mainstay for me and I’m really pleased for him reaching 100 games.
“If you’re wanting to see someone who leads by example then that’s Lewis. He gives you absolutely everything in every session and every game.
“For the younger players he’s someone they should be modelling themselves on.”
Vale opened the scoring after just three minutes, when King found Greg Ross from Andrew Campbell’s long throw, and he found the target.
The lead was doubled in first-half injury time.
Again King was the creator, with Ryan Hynes netting his first for the club.
The second-half started as the first had finished, with Vale on target.
Adam Monaghan’s dangerous corner was perfect for Martin Connolly to nod into the net.
After a flurry of yellow cards, the home side then had Aidan Meechan sent-off after kicking out, before Vale sealed the win with 20 minutes remaining.
Veteran defender Monaghan again provided the delivery, with Greg Ross adding a second of the afternoon to his name, steering the ball home from close range.
This weekend the Vale welcome Finnart to the Cheaper Insurance Direct Stadium at Millburn, knowing another three points could be a huge step towards survival.
Looking ahead, Brian said: “Over the last few weeks we’ve set a standard that we can’t drop below now.
“We’re hoping everyone will be available for what will be another really tough game.”
Kick off at Millburn is 2pm.
