BEFORE Tranent’s victory over Cumbernauld Colts on Saturday, more than 1,000 miles had been clocked up since Tranent were last backed by a home crowd.
Trips away from Foresters Park have taken the club to Dundee, Gretna, Stirling, Dumbarton, Linlithgow, East Kilbride and Glasgow.
Finally, at the weekend, they returned back to home comforts and picked up a 3-2 win that put them fourth in the Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL).
Jonny Stewart, player/manager at the promotion-chasing side, was delighted with how his squad had performed over the nine away trips since they defeated Civil Service Strollers in early September.
He said: “It has been a long time coming.
“It feels like an age since we last played at home.
“It was good to get back home on Saturday and get back in front of the home fans and get a win.
“I don’t think I have played that many away games in a row before.
“It is probably a record for myself in terms of playing away from home.
“We were quite unfortunate with cup draws and every one seemed to be away from home.
“Then, the league games, for some reason, fell quite weirdly, and we had five or six away from home.
“It is quite unusual but the boys did well and we managed to get a decent return. It is nice to be back home, though.”
The impressive run of form has come after the club was sent tumbling out of the Scottish Cup at the first hurdle by Midlands League side Dundee North End.
Since that surprise 4-0 defeat, Tranent have gone five league games unbeaten and picked up 16 points out of a possible 18 – a draw at Linlithgow Rose the only slight blemish on that record.
Stewart said: “Obviously, Dundee North End was a bitterly disappointing performance and result for the club, for the fans, for the players and the management staff.
“We let ourselves down to go out in the first round.
“It was really disappointing but credit to the boys, they responded really well.
“The form in the league and in the Scottish Junior Cup has been excellent.
“We have been undefeated since then and they have done everything I have asked. We have got a great record since then and hopefully we will learn from it.
“We will put it behind us and use that disappointment and hurt to kick on.”
The 3-2 win over Cumbernauld Colts on Saturday pushed Tranent to within two points of second-placed East Kilbride, with league leaders Caledonian Braves three points further in front.
Results on Tuesday mean Tranent are now third and two points behind leaders East Kilbride and the Braves.
The Belters’ performances have flown under the radar and Stewart was happy for other clubs to hog the headlines and for his side do its talking on the pitch.
He told Courier Sport: “All the attention and focus will be on East Kilbride with the squad they have got and rightly so.
“They have got a great group of players and on paper they will be favourites for the league.
“Caledonian Braves have started really well and are another good side. I’m quite happy for the spotlight to be on those two.
“We will keep plugging along and go about our business quietly and take care of ourselves.
“We go and try to win every game possible.
“We will see where that takes us.”
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