Tranent require 'exceptional and faultless' Lowland League play-off performance

Tranent boss Calum Elliot admits most of Scottish football will be expecting his side to lose out on promotion to the Lowland League, but he’s backed his players to produce another big performance in their play-off away to Darvel.

The East of Scotland champions take on the West of Scotland title winners at Recreation Park tomorrow (kick-off 2pm) in the final match of the round robin play-off.

Darvel ensured a straight shootout for promotion with Tranent after a 3-1 win at St Cuthbert Wanderers on Wednesday night. Winner will take all, or if the match ends in a draw, a penalty shootout will follow with an extra point on offer which would be enough to put either side top.

“The players are fully aware of what is at stake and they deserve the opportunity to have this game,” said Elliot. “It’s a one-off game, they will start as huge favourites being at home with the players that they’ve got.

“We’ve got to go there and we have to be exceptional, we have to be faultless in everything that we do, in and out of possession. We will have to be really, really brave. We will possibly set up slightly differently, but we will give it our best shot.

“We will give the boys the information we have on Darvel; what their strengths are, to be honest, I don’t think they have many weaknesses, but we will certainly go and try and cause them problems as well as trying to nullify them as best as we can.

“I don’t think many people will be expecting us to win. What I will say is our group of players have an unbelievable team spirit and if there is a group of players that can go there and beat them, it is them.

“They will fight for everything; they will listen to everything that we tell them. It’s going to be a tough ask but we will give it our best shot, we will go there looking to get the win. It’s one last push to see where it takes us.

Tranent manager Calum Elliot

“Regardless of what happens, it has been an outstanding season. At Christmas time we were on our knees, there was no way anyone could have foreseen us coming back to win the league. That just tells you everything about them, they have got that character.”

Striker Kris Renton back in contention to start after missing last Sunday’s 7-0 win over St Cuthbert Wanderers.