TRANENT Juniors have hailed the start of a new era in the club’s history after making their debut in the Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL).

The club reached the fifth tier of football in Scotland after overcoming Darvel and St Cuthbert Wanderers in a three-way playoff at the end of last season, reaching the highest level in their history.

In their first SLFL match on Saturday, the team welcomed East Kilbride to Foresters Park for the opening day of the campaign, with visits from Celtic, Rangers and Hearts B teams all to come as part of Tranent’s rise up the football pyramid.

While the result was not what the county side were looking for, falling to a 3-2 defeat, there was a genuine buzz around the club as a new, exciting chapter in the club’s history kicked off.

'Doing East Lothian proud'

David Innes, chairman of Tranent Juniors, said: “We think there were about 400 people at the game – we didn’t know what to anticipate so we were quite surprised.

“There was a really good atmosphere, including the 50 East Kilbride fans, and it was a great day as we unfurled the league flag and used our new goals – we were very proud as a committee. We can definitely compete in this league, and now want to start putting points on the board. We are really proud of the club and that we are doing East Lothian proud as well.”

Councillor Kenny McLeod, ward member for Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry, shared his delight at the club’s achievements.

He said: “It’s a big deal for the town. There are a lot of people behind the scenes that people don’t know about that helped make this happen. They are doing great and I’m absolutely delighted for them.”

Tranent picked up their first win in the Lowland League yesterday (Wednesday), winning 2-1 away at Cumbernauld Colts.