TRANENT-BORN Ben Miller has thrown down the gauntlet to his hometown club in a bid to ensure they are celebrating at the end of the season.

A three-way battle for the East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) Premier Division title is evolving, with Tranent at the heart of it.

Penicuik Athletic are in pole position with a four-point advantage and have played a game fewer than Tranent, while Linlithgow Rose can close to within a point of the Belters if they win their game in hand.

Miller said: “If you are the team chasing, it is always going to be harder.

“You cannot slip up and we have still got Penicuik to play and Linlithgow to play twice.

“We just need to focus on ourselves and try to win every game possible.

“We have got a few tough games over the Christmas period and we just need to focus on ourselves.”

East Lothian Courier: Tranent (maroon) slipped up at home to Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts earlier this season and Ben Miller has called on his team to stop that from happening againTranent (maroon) slipped up at home to Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts earlier this season and Ben Miller has called on his team to stop that from happening again

Crossgates Primrose are the first hurdle for Tranent to overcome when the Fife side visit Foresters Park this weekend.

Miller described the game as “a lot bigger” than the Scottish Cup clash with Stirling Albion, which took place on Saturday.

The Binos ran out 4-0 winners but the Tranent midfielder stressed that the success of their season would not be determined by the Scottish Cup run.

Instead, it was all about focusing on the Premier Division.

He said: “There are no easy games in this league.

“We found that out the hard way against Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts when people thought it would be a walkover and we lost.

“These games can define your season or league.

“You need to take every game seriously and win every game.

“We are more than capable of doing it and I still think we have got the best squad in the league by a country mile.

“We need to show that.”

East Lothian Courier: Tranent (maroon) slipped up at home to Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts and Ben Miller has now challenged his team to go the rest of the season undefeatedTranent (maroon) slipped up at home to Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts and Ben Miller has now challenged his team to go the rest of the season undefeated

Tranent have enjoyed success in the Scottish Cup in the last two years – winning three ties against teams from the leagues above.

However, the journey came to an end for another season, with Stirling proving the more clinical side.

Tranent had more shots on target than their counterparts, who found the net with each of their efforts on goal.

Twenty-seven-year-old Miller said: “I don’t think the scoreline tells the true story, if I’m being totally honest.

“We were very, very unlucky.

“We knew they were going to be a good side and they have got really good players but we took the game to them in the first 20 minutes.

“We were really good, we were on top but we just could not score or take our chances.”