East Kilbride boss Kevin Rutkiewicz insists his side will need to be at their best to beat Bo’ness United in the Lowland League Cup final on Sunday.
Rutkiewicz says a 6-0 win over the Newtown Park side last month will count for nothing, and his side must keep their composure on the day.
But the former Aberdeen stopper – who only took the reins in March after interim boss Chris Aitken was let go – says it’s a real chance for silverware.
Kilby will tackle United at Ainslie Park in Edinburgh after a Neil McLaughlin double saw them overcome Broomhill 2-1 at K-Park on Saturday, while Bo’ness beat East Stirlingshire with the same scoreline.
Rutkiewicz expects a tough clash against the West Lothian side, but says EK should have their eyes on the prize as they aim to lift their first trophy since the 2019 South Challenge Cup.
He said: “We’ve got to be at our best to give ourselves a chance, 90 per cent won’t be good enough on Saturday.
“It’s a cup final, so you need to be on it. I’m desperate to win it, I’m not going to hide that fact.
“It’s a cup, we’re nearly there, we can nearly touch it – the same as Bo’ness can.
“If you’re in football and don’t want that, you shouldn’t be involved. It’s a fantastic opportunity to finish the season with a wee bit of silverware.
“It’s about the players, because this is a squad that I’ve inherited and I’ve only been in the job I think five or six weeks.
“It’s really about them, if they want to win it for each other and themselves – this is what they could achieve.”
Rutkiewicz added: “If they can turn up and play the way they’ve been doing since January, then they’ll give themselves a great chance.
“I think it would be a fitting way for them to end their season, to show everybody that if it wasn’t for a shaky start, things could have been so much different.
“It’s going to be a competitive game, we’re not going to look at the game a few weeks ago. That gives me no gauge for a cup final.
“On Saturday it’s eyes on the prize for both teams. The motivation’s there, so I think it will be a very different game. A wee bit of composure is needed.
“This is a true test, because it doesn’t matter what cup it is, there’s a mentality to winning.
“But I would absolutely take a similar outcome if you offered it to me!”
Kick-off on Sunday is 3pm.
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