The BMW Bateman Premier League moves into a conference system for the second half of the season which meant that the Vale would be in Conference B after finishing third off the bottom of this highly competitive league with only one victory from their thirteen games played, at home against Broughton Park, 39-20 in October.

It had been a turbulent three months for the Vale as they struggled with injuries and changes to their personal because of first team call ups but despite enduring a succession of defeats the spirits remained high. Slowly a more settled side began to evolve; the regulars were joined by some of the Vale’s young emerging players and a number of Lancaster University and University of Cumbria players who quickly slotted into the side.

There was little doubt that the Vale would be one of the Conference B clubs and in the second week they began their battle to retain their league status and they shot away to an ideal start with a 29-17 home victory against Lymm 2nds in which Ben Charnley played a pivotal role.

But the threat of relegation would not go away because there was a defeat at Altrincham Kersal, 36-17, on the first Saturday in January. The following week the Vale won at home aginst Broughton Park, 54-0, their first shut out since September2010. Wayne Bylthe scored a hat trick in a result that came as a huge boost to the Vale.

Unfortunately, because of cup commitments, the Vale had to wait a month before their next Conference games, with away fixtures both ending in defeat. They lost 12-7 disappointingly at Penrith against a club struggling near the bottom of the table, and despite a much improved performance, they lost at Liverpool St Helens by the same scoreline.

Suddenly the Vale were pitched into a relegation dog fight but a home victory against Altrincham Kersal, who had defeated the Vale on their two previous meetings, eased the pressure slightly. Senior colts, Harry Fellows, who was named man of the match and Sam Benson, who scored a try, made important contributions in a 20-8 winning score, as did veteran Simon Baines.

A rare victory for any Vale side was registered at Broughton Park, 16-14 to propel them into second place in the table. There then followed back to back defeats against top the table Burnage. The Vale lost at home 37-36 but found the going hard on the 4G surface a Burnage losing 57-14 but never letting their heads go down.

With three games remaining it was imperative that the Vale got back onto the front foot and their home game against Liverpool St Helens fell into the must win category. In a game that teetered at times on a knife edge the Vale won 19-12 with two of the team’s stalwarts, skipper Lee Farnworth and stand off Kieran Doyle, being hugely influential in guiding their side to not only victory but safety.

The pressure was off for the visit of Penrith as the Vale avenged two earlier defeats with a superb all round team performance, winning 39-22. Second place in Conference B was confirmed and their place in next seasons Bateman BMW Premier League secured with a rousing victory at Lymm, 36-33. Vale displayed great resilience coming back from 30-14 deficit in the second half.

At the end of November the Vale broke a losing sequence of four games with a win in the first round of the Raging Bull Cup at home against Sandbach 2nds, 45-15. James Curran ran in a hat trick of tries to ensure a place in the second round and a home draw against old rivals Lymm 2nds in January.

When the two clubs faced each other again the Vale were on a bit of a roll and had already defeated Lymm in a Conference B fixture a months earlier. In a robust cup tie the Vale triumphed, 14-3 but went out at the next hurdle against an uncompromising Macclesfield side. The cup holders swept through 83-0, eventually reaching the final only to be defeated by Sedgley Park.

It had been a demanding season for the Vale but many of their more experienced players had stood up to the plate while a large number of younger players had made important contributions and grew in confidence as the season progressed, some being elevated to the first team. To say that the Vale lacked spirit would be a huge understatement and undervalue their achievements were immense when the season is taken as a whole.

The efforts of team manager Tony Gilmour with his valuable unstinting efforts behind the scenes and those of the charismatic Lee Farnworth on the park did not go unrewarded in a season where the character and commitment of the side was tested to the limits week in week out to ensure the Vale did not topple into the abyss.