SAUCHIE'S Terry Hewitt fears his side's season is in danger of becoming another hard luck story as the Reds suffered another blow in the promotion race.

Former Rangers midfielder Ian Black's strike did the damage in their defeat to Tranent on Saturday to leave the Beechwood Park side four points off fifth place with only four matches remaining.

Failure to secure their place in the promised land of a newly-formed league below the Lowland League next season would be a bitter blow to a club side which showed so much promise during the first half of the season.

And speaking to Advertiser Sport, Hewitt called on the side to win their remaining games to take the race down to the wire.

He said: "All the hard work at the start of the season is going to count for nothing if we don't start doing what we are actually good at.

"We really need to start winning games if we want to get into the top five. Time is beginning to run out."

The 30-year-old added: "If you had said at the start that if with four games to go we were in with a chance of promotion, then we would have taken that.

"We are working hard and putting in the effort, but we are missing a wee bit of quality and a bit of composure.

"All the boys are up for it and it's not all doom and gloom. It's okay saying we are unlucky here and there, but it can't be a hard luck story.

"You want to be promoted and a team like Sauchie are too good a team to be in the league they would be if we don't get promoted."

The Reds flew out of the traps in the first half of the season, beating the likes of Tynecastle and Dundonald Bluebell to take pole position in the promotion race.

But, a stop-start winter and injuries to key first team players has taken its toll and Saturday's defeat was their second in a row.

Sauchie next face a Beechwood Park double-header against Burntisland Shipyard this weekend before welcoming Dunipace on Tuesday night.

Hewitt continued: "First half of the season everybody is flying. Parks are great and everyone wants the ball. In the second half, parks are terrible and it is different.

"It's a learning curve for all the boys who have not played at this kind of level

"We need to take six points from the next two games. That's a definite.

"Anything less than six points and that's probably the season finished."