VALE won through to qualify for the Quarter Finals of the League Cup later in the season, but were made to work hard by a Leith side who had failed to win a Section B game going into the game and were determined to make amends.

It was the third attempt to play this game after two previous postponements and Vale had one enforced change to make from the starting line up from their Scottish Cup victory over Girvan as Scott Devlin was ruled out through injury.

Jamie Paterson stepped into the midfield berth and while the squad was missing David Anderson, who has departed to work in Singapore, there was good news as Jamie Lauder took a place amongst the substitutes as he returned from a long-term injury ahead of schedule.

The Leith line up featured former Vale Player of the Year Gavin Tainsh in their line up, who was returning to Victoria Park for the first time since his departure.

The first half contained little to write about - the game was played at a furious pace, with both sides keeping tight on each other, meaning that chances were few and far between.

Quarter of an hour in, a good move by Vale saw Scott Moffat take possession and feed the ball out wide to Andy Martin and the resultant cross was volleyed narrowly wide by Jordan Hall.

Vale were left not best pleased with a controversial decision made by referee Mr Cooper shortly afterwards as Paterson was brought down in the area and the official elected to play advantage, but Hall's shot from a few yards out was deflected up into the air by a Leith defender before keeper Matthew Banks clawed the ball away.

Leith had a great chance to open the scoring as Jason Stevens was allowed to run through the Vale defence unchallenged, but fortunately for Vale the finish was well off-target.

As half time approached, Vale striker Steve Radzynski was presented with a couple of chances to score against his former club, firstly controlling a Martin cross neatly on his chest, but finding he couldn't get a clean shot in.

Seconds later another Martin cross fell just behind him at the back post, and the ball rebounded off his leg to safety. So it wasn't a great surprise that the score line was blank at the break, but two minutes after the restart, Vale finally found a way to break the deadlock.

The goal carried a bit of fortune about it as Hall met a Martin cross on the half-volley, the shot glanced off Leith defender Douglas Thom and keeper Banks couldn't shift his position in time to reach the ball as it fell into the net.

The Leith keeper got down well to stop a Radzynski shot on the turn minutes later, but Banks was beaten by a deflection again in the 61st minute as Vale went further ahead. Radzynski sent a cross from the left towards the back post, where it was met by Martin.

His first-time shot clipped the heels of Lewis Cairns, but with Banks having committed himself to the dive, he could only watch from the ground as the ball trundled over the line. Despite the weight of chances Vale had carved out, it was actually Athletic who looked the more dangerous going forward.

A trio of substitutions saw some fresh legs on for the visitors and they stepped up their efforts to get back into the game. A ball played in by William Bremner put sub Jody Shiels in, but Vale keeper Mark Wilson had to come out smartly to clear the danger with his feet.

The late rally eventually brought some reward in injury time when Ricky Miller upended Bremner in the 'D' and the resulting free kick saw Stephen Barrie curl a great strike round the wall and into the net.

But there was no time left for Leith to press for an equaliser, and it was Vale who celebrated their entry into the League Cup at the final whistle as Section B winners.

Vale of Leithen: Mark Wilson; Chris Beaton, Ryan McKenzie (Jamie Lauder 78), Ricky Miller, Paul Lee, Paul Greenhill, Andy Martin, Jamie Paterson, Scott Moffat (John Ferguson 66), Steve Radzynski, Jordan Hall.

Leith Athletic: Matthew Banks; Gavin Tainsh, Lewis Cairns, Steven Lynch, Douglas Thom, Gary Black, Jason Stevens, William Bremner, Jack Combe (Lewis Martin 60), Greig Tulloch (Stephen Barrie 67), Lewis Tracey (Jody Shiels 67).