FRASER DUNCAN says his players executed their gameplan to perfection as Sauchie held Super League pacesetters Penicuik to a goalless draw last Saturday.

The Wee County side had endured a mixed bag of results in the opening weeks of the season, but put in an assured display to come away with a point.

And in the wake of the weekend’s game, the manager urged his team to use the result as a platform for the rest of the season.

Duncan told Advertiser Sport: “We went into the game off the back of two defeats, and in that position you do fear the worst because Penicuik have been doing very well. But we were like a different team.

"We put a gameplan together and went out and executed it perfectly. To be honest I’m slightly disappointed we didn’t win the game, because we had four or five really good chances.

"But overall I’m delighted with the performance. The boys worked really hard.

“Penicuik had won four out of four and they are a really good side, but on Saturday we were better than them and I think any neutral would say the same.

"They could have won it in the last 20 minutes but we dominated the rest of the game. It was a great performance and I’m really pleased because we matched one of the top teams in the league. There’s no reason why we can’t kick on now.”

Duncan confirmed that the club have completed the signing of defender Stewart Houston, who featured as a trialist last Saturday, and praised the central defender’s performance after a standout display.

He said: “We are delighted to have brought Stewart in because he was outstanding on Saturday. His tackling was fantastic.

"He has made four or five crucial challenges inside the box, and his distribution was excellent too. Our best chances came from him playing the ball over the top of the defence.”

Sauchie will be looking to go one better when they host Broxburn Athletic on Saturday, and Duncan is determined to make sure his players are properly prepared for what he sees as a tough test.

He added: “Broxburn is another tough game. We played them in pre-season so we know what they are like. They are an established Super League side.

"We have to make sure we are properly prepared for every game and that starts this week.”