Tranent midfielder Sean Murphy hoping for birthday present cup win against East Fife

Knocking out League 1 East Fife to reach the third round of the William Hill Scottish Cup would be the ultimate birthday weekend for Tranent Juniors midfielder Sean Murphy.

Sean Murphy and Tranent Juniors travel to Methil this weekend looking to upset East Fife

Affectionately known as “Skip” by team-mates and opponents alike in the East of Scotland League since his spell as captain of Leith Athletic, Murphy is relishing the opportunity posed by a visit to Bayview to take on a club three levels above them.

After thumping Lowland League East Stirlingshire 4-1 in the last round when they were underdogs, Murphy, who was previously at Berwick Rangers, says the Belters are out to prove there isn’t such a big gap.

“It’s probably the club’s biggest ever game and it’s a great achievement for the club to be where we are,” said Murphy, who turns 27 today.

“I think everyone had us written off in the last round when we were underdogs. There is probably not as much between the leagues as what people maybe make out there is. You see other teams in our league doing well like Linlithgow, so there maybe isn’t much between us.

“We’ve got players in our team that could play at a higher level or have already played there, we have a lot of quality players. A lot of the boys have probably got a point to prove that they could play at a higher level.

“They would need to have an off day and we will all need to be on it in order to get a result. We’ve got nothing to lose, it’s just a shame that our supporters can’t be there because it would be a good day out for them. Tranent would have been like a ghost town if fans were allowed in. This is where the club wants to be, competing with these kind of teams.

Tranent chairman Davie Innes, who played for the club in the 90s, is immensely proud of where the club is today.

“I’m proud as punch, it’s just a great time for the club,” said Innes. “We have a small committee who work really hard to make it happen and we have a good side on the park now.

“The club has come such a long way in the last five or six years that we have been there, and this is the pinnacle for us, just being in the Scottish Cup is amazing. For the guys to win a few games and to get into the more serious part of it is great. We will go there and it is a free hit for us, we hope the guys will just do ourselves justice.

“We’ve got to be realistic; they are a few leagues above us, but we are playing well and we haven’t been beaten this season yet. The guys will give it their best shot and we will see what happens, you never know.”

Elsewhere, Linlithgow Rose will be looking to repeat history in the competition when they visit League 1 opponents Forfar Athletic.

The Prestonfield men have a number of players still at the club, including captain Ruari MacLennan and record goalscorer Tommy Coyne, who were part of the Rose side to reach the last 16 of the competition for the first time five years ago this month after a 1-0 victory in Angus.

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