TRANENT Juniors are looking for a new manager after Gary Small resigned at the weekend for “non-footballing reasons”.

Small took over at Foresters Park in February 2015 and, in his first full season in charge, led the club to their first trophy in nearly 20 years as they won the South Division.

He leaves just two months after signing a one-year contract extension, and with the club in 10th place in the East Premier League.

Small’s final match in charge was the 2-1 Scottish Junior Cup defeat to Cumbernauld United on November 19.

The 33-year-old admits it was “gut-wrenching to leave my club” and said that his departure was for “non-footballing reasons”.

Small told Courier Sport: “I felt that the position had become untenable really. I had no option. There have been a number of issues and I felt I was unable to stay on as manager.”

The former Tranent midfielder moved to Foresters Park having previously been part of then-manager Johnny Harvey’s backroom team at Haddington Athletic.

He added: “There have been problems since day one, and I’ve never had the full backing of the committee. It has probably been coming for a while.”

Despite saying he felt it was “impossible” to stay at Foresters Park, Small, who works for Barclay, insisted he had left the club “a million” times better off than when he joined.

He said: “I took them from the bottom of the bottom division to the league title in under a year. It was their first league title in nearly 20 years and we got to a cup quarter-final as well, which people have forgotten. Tranent is my club, and I hope that the players stick together now and they keep Tranent in that division.”

Small also thanked the club, including former chairman Colin Martin, and added: “There are members of the committee there that I have respect and admiration for.”

Paul McGregor, Tranent Juniors chairman, said in a statement: “Tranent Juniors would like to thank Gary for all his hard work, dedication and professionalism during his time with the club, particularly in successfully getting the club promotion last season.

"We would like to wish Gary every success in the future. The task now at hand is to find a new manager who will take the club forward.

“While we understand there will be speculation, as ever, the club will go about its business quietly, and release further statements when there is something meaningful to say.”

Kenny Rafferty, Small's assistant, and veteran midfielder Darren Smith were placed in interim charge.