Bo'ness star Stuart Hunter is chasing his title dream

Stuart Hunter is 38 but is not feeling his age and has no plans of retiring

Veteran Bo’ness United defender Stuart Hunter says he will know when to call it quits – and that time certainly isn’t yet as the Newtown Park men chase the East of Scotland title and promotion to the Lowland League.

The BU skipper turns 38 next month, and while players he previously played alongside have long moved into retirement, Hunter doesn’t plan to anytime soon.

Doing as well as Bo’ness are currently with their nine-point lead at the top of the table must make it easier for Hunter to keep on playing.

“We are in a very strong position,” said Hunter, who will have a testimonial in May. “What is unusual and isn’t something I have ever actually experienced is the lack of postponed games, because usually when you are getting to this time of year there are lots of call-offs. There are less games being called off and any time I have been pushing for league titles, I think it has come to the summer or back end of spring months when you are playing three games a week to catch up, whereas this time we have the points on the board and the likes of Hill of Beath and Tranent are trying to chase us.

“I would be very proud to win this league, there are no mugs in our league; you just need to look at some of the teams and the set-ups and resources. Yeah, we don’t have a Bonnyrigg or Kelty in there anymore, but it would still be a fantastic achievement [to win the league]. Any of the teams in the top seven or eight could go into the Lowland League and compete.

“Hopefully we can get promotion into the Lowland League. I’ve got past putting a time frame on it [retiring], I must have played about 80 to 85 per-cent of the games and we have one of the best defensive records in the league, the team is performing really well. Am I personally still able to contribute? Yeah I am. Am I in a position after games when I am in absolute agony? No.”

Bo’ness visit Tranent tomorrow, with the home side needing to take all three points if they have any remaining hope of catching the leaders. Max Christie’s men have lost just two league games.

Hunter added: “The one thing we have got in our squad, and I’ll be honest, it was one thing that was missing when I walked away and then came back to the club, was that work rate and will to win. That is something we now have.”