Vale of Leven 1-0 Bellshill Athletic
Graeme Ramage stepped off the bench to score a vital late winner for the Vale, which his manager labelled as one of the best he’s seen at Millburn.
Having lost 2-1 to the same opponents midweek, it looked as if Bellshill would continue to be a bogey side for Brian Brown’s men – with the game heading for stalemate.
But veteran Ramage had other ideas, smacking in a blistering long range effort via the crossbar that sparked jubilation on the terracing.
And boss Brown admitted it was the sort of game that keeps fans – and coaches – hooked.
Brian told the Lennox: “We had a point to prove after Wednesday.
“Bellshill are a very good side who will feel they should’ve won. But we battled away and really dug in.
“The hard work the guys have been putting in was rewarded.
“It’s feelings like that, that keep you going back. We’ve had some dark days this season, but the feeling when the goal goes in is what keeps us all going.
“The guys were all buzzing. It was a cracking feeling.
“It was a special day and you could see that from everyone’s reaction. We’re all in it together.
“We’ve not got a lot of experienced players, so when the chance came to sign Graeme again then we jumped at it.
“We put him on and asked him just to keep the ball. But the goal he scored was one of the best I’ve seen at the Millburn. It was an incredible strike.”
This week the Vale face two more huge games in the battle to avoid the drop, as they travel to face Newmains on Wednesday evening – before visiting Ayrshire to take on Lugar Boswell Thistle on Saturday.
And Brian is in no doubt about what is required from his side.
He added: “These next games are two cup finals. Nothing less than two wins will do.
“We need to make sure we get six points.
“Midweek games haven’t been great for us. They can be difficult with players coming straight from work, so we need to make sure the guys are all at it.”
