GARY Small has urged his Tranent troops to look to Beith for inspiration after the Scottish Junior Cup winners picked up a comfortable win on Saturday.

The Belters were without a number of key players, including Kevin Thomson, who was an unused substitute after struggling with a calf injury, as the visitors picked up a 3-1 win.

Small (pictured) was relatively pleased with his side’s performance but highlighted the step up in class.

He said: “I think we did all right.

“I think the one thing that was the difference between the sides was the way they pressed us and their work rate was tremendous.

“It is something we have not come up against before and we are a hard-working side but that was another level.

“I said to them that the result is pretty irrelevant but the goals we conceded were scandalous.

“In open play, we were all right but the goals were criminal and just basic, basic errors on our part.

“The third goal they had a shot, which took a ricochet and landed at the feet of one of their boys, who had a shot and it took a deflection and then one of their boys tapped it in.

“Good teams always seem to get that break of the ball and it is not by accident.

“It is by working harder and getting into the right positions.”

Small’s men travel to East Kilbride Thistle on Saturday before welcoming Hibs’ development squad to Foresters Park on Tuesday evening.

The manager did not know much about East Kilbride Thistle but felt the away trip would prove beneficial for his team as the only fixture away from their home in their pre-season preparations.

Small added: “We played Hibs’ development squad last year and they are full-time and fit.

“We will need to look at that one because it is about four days before my season kicks off.

“We will make a judgement on that.

“All our friendlies are going to be tough tests but that is why we picked them.

“There is no value in playing an amateur team we should beat 8-0 or 9-0 – it is absolutely pointless.”