VALE manager Chris Anderson has agreed a new two-year extension to his contract at Victoria Park.

Assistant Keith Mcleod and coaches Mark Beveridge and Sean Taylor have also pledged to remain at the Lowland League club until the end of 2018/19.

Anderson took over last summer and has guided his team to a safe midtable spot in Scotland's fifth tier.

But the 29-year-old believes the best is still to come.

He told us: "We want to build on the progress that has already been made since Vale became a Lowland League club.

"The committee here have made giant strides off the park and this is something we want to replicate on the pitch.

"To keep improving each season you need a long-term plan and I believe we will continue building and improving with the coaching personnel we have."

Over the past two seasons, under the guidance of former chairman Jack Diamond and club manager Mark Lamb, Vale extended their clubrooms, built new toilets, improved their enclosure and resurfaced the car park.

A new perimeter fence has also been added and future improvements are also being planned.

Since Anderson's arrival in the Victoria Park dugout he has assembled a squad of exciting young talent along with a handful of seasoned campaigners.

Despite a severe dip in form towards the end of 2016, they have only lost 12 of their 25 matches.

The recent acquisition of talented duo Craig McBride and Ryan Currie has bolstered the Vale squad to 20 players.

And the majority have already committed to next season.

Anderson added: "We are still waiting on one or two but the majority of players have now signed for next season.

"The players are buying into what we are trying to do here at the Vale.

"We've not set out any targets for the next couple of seasons but we do want to improve and be as successful as we can."

Although Anderson is younger than half a dozen of his players, the former Dunfermline, Berwick Rangers and Spartans striker has ruled out making a comeback on the pitch.