TRANENT Juniors co-manager Darren Smith has hailed his all-conquering side after they achieved a historic cup double.

The Belters held their nerve to win the East of Scotland Cup on penalties, seeing off East Superleague runners-up Bonnyrigg Rose on Saturday afternoon.

Success in Bathgate saw the Foresters Park club add the East of Scotland Cup to the Fife and Lothians Cup they won by beating Broxburn Athletic 1-0 last Wednesday evening – a triumph which ended Tranent’s four-decade wait for a cup win.

East Lothian Courier: Tranent Juniors celebrate the double. Pic Bill WishartTranent Juniors celebrate the double. Pic Bill Wishart

Tranent Juniors players celebrate their second cup win in four days. Pic Bill Wishart

Remarkably, Tranent’s double success comes just four years after the club was on the brink of folding due to financial difficulties.

Co-manager Smith, who played in Saturday’s win, spoke to Courier Sport minutes after the Belters lifted the trophy.

He said: “This team do not know when they are beaten. It was massive for us on Wednesday night and massive for us again today.

“When it went to penalties, I was 100 per cent confident.”

That confidence was well-placed – Saturday’s victory was Tranent’s fifth in as many in shootouts this campaign.

Craig Wojtowycz is pictured below, by Bill Wishart, celebrating after scoring the winner.

East Lothian Courier: Tranent's Craig Wojtowycz celebrates his winning penalty. Pic Bill WishartTranent's Craig Wojtowycz celebrates his winning penalty. Pic Bill Wishart

Smith added: “Six months ago, when myself and [co-manager] Kenny Rafferty took over, we would never have dreamt this. It is never going to be beaten and it is just such a great achievement.

“I’m just delighted for everybody – not just myself and Kenny but the players have been excellent for us and bought into what we are trying to do. The committee and the community as a whole – it’s an unbelievable day.”

After the Broxburn win four days earlier, a delighted Smith had said: “I cannot put it into words. I think it is an unbelievable achievement.

“The players deserve all the credit. Since we took over they have done everything we have asked of them and they have got their rewards.”

Robert McNeill, club secretary, told Courier Sport he was “on cloud nine” and praised the work of the committee and all involved with the club over the past five years.

“It is a great feeling,” he said. “It is an opportunity for everybody to enjoy and it has brought a lot of people together – young and old.

“For me, personally, there are guys coming back that I had not seen for 20 or 25 years. From that point of view, it has brought the community together. I know people just want to be involved in the club and it is just a great feeling.”

Mr McNeill, who saw the club lift trophies in the 1970s and league titles in the 1990s, was hoping the double triumph would help spur the team onto greater things, with a view to reaching the Superleague – the top flight of junior football in the East Region.

Fellow committee member Matthew Wright said: “We will remember these days for the rest of our lives. It is fantastic for the club and the whole community.

“Kenny and Darren have got the players believing they are unbeatable. In my mind, Tranent Juniors are a top four Superleague club and I’m not going to say promotion is the target next season, but we want to progress certainly.”

Messages of congratulations have been flooding in for the club – East Lothian provost John McMillan said: “This is a fantastic achievement by Tranent Juniors and one which the whole town and wider community can be very proud of.

“I hope even more fans will get behind Tranent and other local clubs and cheer them onto further success next season and beyond.”

Tranent and Elphinstone Community Council congratulated the club for its achievements, while ward councillor Kenny McLeod, a former Tranent Juniors player, wrote on social media...

He also told Courier Sport: “I’m very proud of my nephew Ben Miller, who played a major part in the team this season.”

The club’s success has also been marked in the Scottish Parliament, as East Lothian MSP Iain Gray tabled a motion which reads: “That the Parliament notes the success of Tranent Juniors in the Fife and Lothians and the East of Scotland Cup finals; congratulates the team’s co-managers, Darren Smith and Kenny Rafferty, along with the players, fans and everyone else associated with the club on this outstanding achievement, which follows Dunbar United’s winning the South Division title, and wishes all of East Lothian’s football clubs success for 2017-18.”