Tranent boss Colin Nish searching for missing piece of the jigsaw

Tranent Juniors boss Colin Nish knows exactly what he needs to pull his team through difficult games on sticky pitches away from home in winter. He’s just been unable to find it.

A striker able to play up top on his own, someone who can bring others into play, offer a physical presence and focal point in attack and score a goal when it is really needed. Someone a bit like himself perhaps.

Now 41, Nish was a 6ft 3in striker who could do that type of job for Kilmarnock, Hibs and other clubs during his playing career. Finding a younger clone to do that job hasn’t been easy. The East Lothian club have been looking for more than a month.

“It’s just about trying to find the right one,” Nish told the Edinburgh Evening News. “We want to keep building, so we want to bring in players who are going to be here for a while, not just take a chance on someone and maybe make a mistake. That won’t benefit us in the long run.

Tranent boss Colin Nish is still looking for a physical striker. Picture: Phil Johnson

“We’ve not been able to get anybody over the line. It’s to help the boys who are there. We need that physical presence. We have Nicky Reid, who is smaller, and Martin Maughan, who is smaller. Kris Renton has been out injured for a long time. So we are missing in that department and it is showing.”

Tranent drew 0-0 at Cowdenbeath and then lost 1-0 at Berwick Rangers on either side of New Year, missing the chance to go top of the Lowland League. Both games were played on soft pitches, the home team defending well and Tranent unable to break them down. Nish even resorted to pushing centre-back Kieran Somerville up front for the last half hour at Shielfield Park.

“In an ideal world we would keep our shape and bring someone on,” Nish explained. “It’s that bit of quality that we’re missing, someone able to produce in games that are more of a battle. We’ve got good boys out wide, but when you play on bobbly parks like that we need another option.”

When he looks at the bigger picture, Nish is quite rightly pleased with what has been achieved this season. Tranent’s defeat on Tuesday was their first in the league since October 7. The East of Scotland champions are still in an excellent position with nearly half of the season to go. Spartans, East Kilbride and Stirling University are in the mix, separated by just four points in what is the most exciting Lowland League title race in years.

“When we played Spartans we were level on points and then we went four points in front. Now we have gone a few points behind them,” added Nish. “We’ve just struggled away from home in a couple of games lately, but I can’t be too critical of the boys because they have been outstanding.

“We’re capable of beating anyone. We’re delighted to be near the top going into the new year. East Kilbride will be up there for sire. I’ve not seen Stirling Uni, but by all accounts they are a good side. Anyone can go on a run and we have done it before. We can do it again.”