Junior outfit Haddington Athletic clinched promotion to the Premier League on Saturday but there were few celebrations. . . much to the delight of boss Johnny Harvey.

Their achievement was certainly worthy of praise – but the side are so focused on winning the South Division championship this weekend that the champagne was put on ice.

The club clinched promotion by virtue of a 4-0 win at Stoneyburn, with three goals in 15 minutes making the game all-but safe, before Joe Murray wrapped the scoring up late on.

News then filtered through that rivals Rosyth had been held to a 1-1 draw by West Calder United, meaning promotion was secured.

While Harvey was “over the moon” to have secured promotion, he admitted there were “no real celebrations”.

He told Courier Sport on Tuesday: “It was a funny one, because while I thought we had done enough to win promotion, we weren’t 100 per cent sure and, after the game, I started to congratulate the boys on getting us promoted.

“They didn’t really want to celebrate, though – and that’s what I love about the players. We said right from the start that we wanted something to show for our season, and hopefully that comes this Saturday with the league title.

“The players weren’t that bothered about celebrating promotion – they want to win the league.” The club travelled to Stoneyburn on Saturday with Falkirk Juniors and Rosyth both hot on their heels and expected to win their matches against Crossgates Primrose and West Calder respectively.

The Haddington boys were relying on at least one of those results going their way, as well as picking up three points at Stoneyburn, and so it materialised, to give manager Johnny Harvey promotion in his first season in charge of the Hi Hi.

And he was keen to praise his players for their work in his maiden season in charge.

He added: “I keep saying to everyone that you’re only as good [as a manager] as the players you’ve got, so it is all credit to them for what they have achieved.

“What we’ve done this season has been incredible when you consider I took the job quite late [in the summer], and I was a bit surprised when we went into the league as favourites, but the boys have really delivered this year.” And the club, in a message on their Facebook page, thanked the manager and his squad for their efforts.

The statement read: “Congratulations and huge thanks from the committee to Johnny Harvey and his management team, and of course all the players who’ve contributed to the season’s success.

“Special mention must go to long-serving pair Michael Motion and Derek Slight, who with 21 years’ service between them have been through all our South Division ups and downs, the frustrations and the near things, the less satisfying times too; it’s great to see them finally achieve deserved success.

“All being well they’ll be picking up medals this weekend – the old cliché about the majority of players going through their entire playing career without winning anything comes to mind.” Veteran defender Motion expressed his delight at securing promotion for the club, having spent more than 10 years at Millfield.

He posted on Twitter: “@HaddAth promoted today, proud to be playing for this team and this club #HiHi.” The Hi Hi look all but certain to win the league, with Falkirk Juniors the only team able to catch them, and can secure the title at home to Pumpherston Juniors on Saturday, in their penultimate game of the season, if they win.

The West Lothian club will travel to Millfield having not won on the road in the league all season, and sit second-from-bottom in the South Division table.