But zoom forward four matches and we have a team, still short on numbers, rapidly climbing the table.

The revival continued on Saturday with a fantastic display of tenacity and belief to edge out a talented young Gretna side.

Manager Mark Lamb isn’t getting carried away. He told us: “The pleasing thing is that we are on 10 points and getting nearer mid table – we are getting closer to having enough points to stay in this league.

“If we can keep coming up with these performances we should be okay.

“These young boys give their all every week for this club and deserve the credit.” Vale couldn’t have enjoyed a better start as Chris Anderson cut into the box on 90 seconds to feed goal-machine Josh Morris for the simplest of strikes from 12 yards.

Morris and Jason Stevens both tested keeper Graham Wright from distance as the confident home team looked a yard sharper all over the park.

And they were rewarded with a second on 19 minutes as Morris intercepted a defensive pass to curl a tremendous shot into the top corner of the net from a good 25 yards out.

Gretna had shown glimpses of the form that has many punters tipping them as the league’s dark horses.

But it took Stuart Rome’s team until the 25th minute to trouble Mark Wilson. The Vale keeper threw himself across the goal to tip Connor Graham’s shot round the post.

From the resultant corner Kenny O’Brien had to be alert to head the ball off the line.

The home side could – and perhaps should – have been three up just after the half hour as Jason Stevens latched onto a Morris knock down to shave the bar with a volley.

Gretna pulled a goal back seven minutes later as Wilson could only palm away Joseph Slattery’s shot and Ian Anderson managed to squeeze the rebound home from the tightest of angles.

Worse was to follow on 42 minutes as an Alan Inglis low freekick from out wide was missed by the Vale defence and bobbled past the unsighted Wilson.

Without a hint of self-pity the home team came bouncing back.

And on 56 minutes Chris Anderson played a pass into the path of Stevens who side-stepped wide before unleashing a magnificent strike into the far corner of the net.

Gretna’s large support had good reason to grumble just six minutes later as Ian Anderson burst clear, forcing Wilson to make a rash tackle on the edge of the area. The keeper was luckily only shown yellow.

There was further disquiet amongst the Raydale faithful when Graham’s shot struck the arm of Jordyn Gill inside the area and referee Alan Hogg waved away the penalty protests.

It was all a bit nervy in the closing stages with Ryan Sclater making a goal-line clearance and Graham shooting against the underside of the bar.

But Vale also had their chances with Wright making a fantastic reflex save to deny Morris a hat-trick.

In the end Vale held on and continued this unlikeliest of revivals.

Vale of Leithen: M Wilson, R Sclater, E Sanderson, J Elliot, S Lynch, J Gill, R Brady, K O’Brien, C Anderson (I Little 69), J Morris & J Stevens.