TWELVE years ago, a teenage Danny Handling was lining up for a Berwick Rangers side managed by Ian Little.

Now, the former Hibernian star will again be working alongside his former boss as they attempt to fire Tranent to Scottish Lowland Football League glory.

The Belters have been busy in close season and returned to training on Tuesday evening.

Handling, who lives in Haddington, revealed that a move to Foresters Park was something that had taken time to come together.

He told Courier Sport: “It has been in the pipeline for a while now.

“It is one of my local clubs and I know the manager well.

“I played under the gaffer at Berwick Rangers when I first came onto the scene.

“I went out on loan from Hibs for a month and did well, with seven goals in seven games.

“I have a real affiliation with the gaffer and when he got the job it was something that looked more appealing.

“It was not as straight forward as that and it was a long process of weighing up all the options.

“I had offers from League One and League Two that were appealing in other ways – being in the SPFL – but I weighed them up and Tranent was the best deal for me.”

 

 

Little took charge of Tranent following the surprise departure of Max Christie early last season.

The former Livingston and Alloa midfielder then guided his local side to a fifth-place finish in the fifth tier of Scottish football.

Close season has brought the chance to reshape the squad as they look to again challenge title-winners East Kilbride.

Joining Handling among the new faces are Aberlady’s Ben Stirling, former Hearts defender Jake Hutchings, Conor Doan and Jonny Stewart from Bonnyrigg Rose, as well as Haddington Athletic’s Guy McGarry, while former Tranent favourite Adam McGowan has also returned to the club.

Handling was full of praise for his new side and described joining Tranent as “something that excites me”.

 

 

The 30-year-old said: “The gaffer has signed well.

“He has signed a lot of players and we are looking quite strong.”

Handling, who works for Lloyds Bank, spent the first half of last season with Edinburgh City but, when the Capital club faced financial challenges, he opted to move on.

That saw him spend the second half of the campaign at former SPFL stalwarts Brechin City, who missed out on the Highland League title to Buckie Thistle on goal difference.

Nine goals in 17 appearances marked an impressive return for the frontman, who also played with Dumbarton and Raith Rovers.

He said: “I think when the club signed me, it was to come in and help put a real challenge in for the title.

“Credit to Buckie, they are a good team. We lost too many games and dropped too many points.

“From a personal point of view, I was happy with my contribution.

“I think I was third top scorer and I would like to have had more.

“I missed a few chances that I should have been scoring.

“I will take nine and I was enjoying it, but the best thing was the boys at the club.”