Saltcoats Victoria secure their first win of the season

The Vics picked up their first points of the Fourth Division campaign - at the 10th time of asking - courtesy of a 4-2 defeat of Royal Albert at Campbell Park on Satureday.

After narrowly missing out to a last minute winner in a 3-2 defeat to Eglinton FC in their last league game, the Vics went into the match full of confidence despite propping up the table.

Saturday's victory takes them to within a point of Royal Albert - and within three of third-bottom Easterhouse - as Slavin's men look to make up ground on the sides ahead of them.

When boss Slavin came in at the start of this season he knew he had a big job ahead of him, and he spoke of his delight at Saturday's win - and of the signs of the progress he and his squad are making.

Slavin said: "Waiting so long for our first points and win, makes me feel like it should've been a bigger thing, but we need to be realistic and sensible about it, given where we are.

"It was definitely a nice feeling to get off the mark though and it gives us platform to build on now.

"In terms of progress, we've gone from losing lots of goals and having no goal threat to tightening up defensively and looking threatening going forward, so there is a distinct progression in evidence.

"We are still very much in the early stages though, so I'm expecting much, much more from us over the next couple of months.

"It's been a massive turnaround for us to finally be competitive in matches and not just be making up the numbers.

"This was my second target after getting an actual team on the pitch, with available subs, and so we now move onto actually chasing down the teams directly above us."

One of the biggest positives to come out of the match for the Saltcoats boss was the attitude his side showed.

Vics had to come from behind at Campbell Park, after conceding less than a minute into the match.

However, Adam Kamara dragged the home side level before a David Sawyers double gave them breathing space.

The visitors then pulled it back to 3-2, but Vics held their nerve and an Aaron Tait header was enough to secure a much-needed win - and a huge morale boost.

Slavin continued: "We fell behind inside a minute, and that alone was a real test of our character.

"However, I didn't feel any panic from our players and was confident that we would get it back, which we did very quickly. 

"For a squad on the end of some hammerings this season, they've shown remarkable resilience and positivity so it's a testament to the players to have built such a strong character in such a short space of time.

"It too early to be posting markers just yet, but it does mean that we are no longer an easy three points in the league for anyone and that the opposition will need to work hard for everything they get.

"The past few games have been more about the performances than the results. I've said from the start of this season that once we get a good level of performance and consistency, the results will follow."

Looking ahead, Slavin is happy with the progress his youthful side are beginning to make in what he always knew would be a long process to build the club back up.

He added: "After our 13-0 defeat to Irvine Vics in our only pre-season friendly, the future was looking bleak and very long. I knew it would take time to build, coach and develop the squad and so it has proved.

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"I was probably was too optimistic at the start, but that said, I feel like our progression will increase quicker over the next few months as the players are starting to grasp and implement what we are asking of them.

"The progression by the squad is more impressive than it seems, given the age of the players involved. Saturday's win was achieved with a starting 11 including five players under 20 years old, three of which were 16-years-old.

"This was our plan starting out and it's encouraging to see it slowly bearing fruit.

"In terms of the rest of this season, the overly ambitious aim is to finish in the top half of the league, with the short term goal being to just catch and overtake the team directly above us."

Next up for Vics is a much bigger challenge - a visit from Premier Division side Kirkintilloch Rob Roy in the first round of the West of Scotland Cup on Saturday, October 21.

Kick-off at Campbell Park is at 2pm.