SAUCHIE boss Fraser Duncan was thrilled with how his players responded to their weekend defeat to Bonnyrigg Rose as they ended their season with a draw against the same opponents.

The manager threw caution to the wind as he named an attacking lineup against the league leaders.

And his side were only thwarted by a controversial late equaliser from the visitors.

Duncan told Advertiser Sport: “Our gameplan worked. We defended well, and we played three up front.

"Nobody can say we sat back – we went for it and caused Bonnyrigg more problems than we did on Saturday. We defended well as a whole.

“I’m delighted to get a point out of the game. Bonnyrigg had a lot of the play but most of their chances came from set pieces, which I felt we dealt with really well.

“It was just a bad call at the end. We are absolutely down to the bare bones. We went out with a bare eleven on the park and three or four of them weren’t fit.

"We’ve just had to go with that and use our experience to try and get us through the game.

“We have just been very harshly treated when it comes to their goal. It was a bad decision.”

Despite the disappointment of being pegged back, Duncan insisted that the performance marked a good way to close out a rollercoaster campaign.

And after the final whistle, the long-serving manager spoke of his pride in his players.

Duncan added: “I’m gutted for the lads at the end but overall it’s a good way for them to finish the season off.

"The season could have been better because we’ve done well against the big teams but struggled against the smaller sides. We need to rectify that going forward.

“There are a few boys with tired legs because it has been a long, hard season. But it’s a good way to finish. It’s certainly better than a defeat and I felt we deserved a bit more out of the game.

"We worked really hard and I’m proud of the way the boys went about their game.”