Fraser Duncan believes his new look Sauchie side are ready for business after a successful pre-season campaign that has him excited to get the competitive action underway.

The Beechwood Park gaffer has just put his men through a gruelling five games in seven days and is full of praise for the their efforts but he admits he is still looking to add to his squad.

Duncan told Advertiser sport, “It has been a hard week for us with five games in one week. We beat Stoneyburn 4-0 on Monday night then we won 2-0 over West Calder on Wednesday night. We then played Haddington Athletic on Saturday which I expected to be our toughest test of the week because they have signed a lot of decent players but we went and beat them 4-0 as well and played some terrific football.

“I was really delighted with the win and it was great to see Calum Hendrie looking as sharp and getting his two goals. His first one is a real poachers goal from a spilled shot but his second was straight out of the top drawer.

“We then took part in the Dunipace tournament straight after that game which was difficult on the lads but we still did ok. We drew 2-2 against Maryhill then lost out on penalties but to be honest the performance there was really only down to tired legs.

“Then we rounded off our week with a 2-1 win over Falkirk Juniors on the Sunday. It has been a gruelling week for the players but we got out of it what we wanted and I am delighted to get as many game minutes under their belts. I still have a few triallists in with us and I will make a decision on them in the next week.

“We end our preparations against Falkirk on Tuesday night before the real stuff begins the following Wednesday against Linlithgow Rose at Beechwood. I am also still keen to add two or three players to the squad but we will have to be patient on that front for now. I have a good squad at the moment so I am happy to bide my time and get the right players in.

“I know the way I want to set out my team against Linlithgow but there is still time for players to force themselves into my plans in the early part of the season.” Duncan fully expects this season to be a different test for his youthful squad after a summer of transition at Beechwood Park but he still believes his side can improve on last season’s league position as well as staying competitive in the cups.

He said, “This season will be a different challenge for us. We have a lot younger team this time but it has brought us closer together as a unit and there is certainly more energy about the team.

“They will be exciting to watch but first and foremost we want to make ourselves hard to beat. If we can do that then I don’t see any reason why we can’t improve on our 9th position from last season and maybe have a decent run in the cups.

“We will be desperate to defend our East of Scotland cup but the Scottish Cup is where we can generate money for the club and so we will give that our all as well.” The 31-year-old boss also revealed some positive news on the clubs two long term injury casualties in Ally Burns and Steven Hutchison.

Duncan added, “We have two players still recovering from long term injuries in Ally Burns and Steven Hutchison and we are hopeful to have them both back at some point this season but they are both still some months away from kicking a ball yet.”