Tranent boss Calum Elliot reveals his team's Lowland League expectations

The Foresters Park men secured promotion to Scottish football’s fifth tier with a 2-0 defeat of West of Scotland League champions Darvel in Ayrshire, in a match-up many observers thought would go the other way.

Kelty Hearts, Bonnyrigg Rose and Bo’ness United have shown what the East of Scotland League has to offer since making the step up and Tranent will be aiming to follow suit after goals from Wayne McIntosh and Jamie Docherty in Ayrshire sent them up.

“What the boys have done with winning the league and now getting promoted to the Lowland League, hopefully they start to get a bit credit that they are actually due, because their achievements this season have been remarkable,” said 35-year-old boss Elliot.

“To see how much it means to everyone, people that run buses and the committee members who give up so much time ... seeing how much it means to them, that means just as much as it does to myself.

“To have helped the team to achieve that means everything.

“The club has to build on this now. We have to kick on, we can’t stand still and we want to get to that next level and try and compete as best as we can going into that tough league.

“We are realistic enough to realise that there are some big teams in there who have big ambition.

“For me, the club now has to push and try and get more of these days.

“As difficult as it will be to compete at the top end of the league, we’ve got to try our best to make that happen.”

Elliot will give his current squad the opportunity to show what they can do next season.

He continued: “The vast majority of the boys are signed up for next season, 90% of them.

“Of course you want to freshen it up and invigorate the squad, but there is a group of boys there that deserve the opportunity to