By Jonathan Brown
FOR VALLEY Rangers manager Samuel Gordon, this season has been a case of ‘what might have been’, this despite Valley being on course to record their best Mid-Ulster League finish since 2016/2017.
Gordon’s side could still pip Banbridge Rangers to second if they pick up nine points from nine and other results go their way.
Gordon, who stepped up to the first team managerial role in the summer of last year after guiding the club’s reserve side to the Wilmor Johnston Memorial Cup, says it’s a marked improvement on a disappointing 2024/25 campaign when Valley finished 11th in Intermediate A.
“It’s went as well as we could have asked, after a poor season last year and with it being my first year in charge.
“As much as we would have liked to put ourselves in the running for the title after Christmas.
“There’s a few games that we should have picked up more points in, when we’ve drew when we had chances to win, or maybe a silly mistake cost us, so it’s frustrating that way.
“But we have to look at the bigger picture – we were close to the bottom three last season and now we’re in the top three, so it’s been a pretty successful season so far, and it’s not over yet.”
After a mixed start to the season, the Bignian Park outfit have, at the time of writing, only lost one game since a shock Marshall Cup defeat to Division 1 outfit West End Hibs on the 17th of January, a game Gordon describes as a turning point.
“Because they were a few leagues below us, we went into the game thinking we don’t have to try too hard and things were going to be easy, which it wasn’t because they were a very good side.
“Punish is probably a harsh word, but when the boys came into training after that game, they were made to run and told they have to fight for every point and every game – you can’t take anything for granted.
“That was the wake-up call straight after Christmas we needed, to remind us that we need to keep working hard if we want to make this a successful season.”
