East Kilbride boss Kevin Rutkiewicz has revealed he told Hamilton Accies star Andy Ryan he should be ‘quaking in his boots’ after they were paired with the Championship side in the third round of the Scottish Cup.
Ryan played under Rutkiewicz when he was manager at Stirling Albion and now the duo will be reunited next month when they clash at New Douglas Park in an intriguing South Lanarkshire derby.
Added to the sub-plot is the fact ex-Accies kids Ronan Hughes and Kyle Munro are now plying their trade at EK, so it sets up a fascinating encounter.
And Rutkiewicz admitted he was quick off the mark to kick off the pre-match banter with his former player.
He said: “I did send Andy a wee message when the draw was made and let’s say, to put it politely, I told him he’ll be quaking in his boots.
“We had a wee bit of banter and I’m sure he has already texted Ronan, so they’ll have their banter going as well.
“It’s a draw that we can all look forward to and test ourselves against a team from the Championship.
“Recent history tells us Hamilton have been a strong club and there is a wee bit of romance there with Kyle and Ronan having joined us from Hamilton, and Andy being one of my ex-players.
“There are a few wee tie-ins. I know [Hamilton boss] John Rankin well from my playing days as well.
“It’s tasty and a wee derby game as well. Hopefully we can put our best foot forward on the day and you just never know in the cup.
“I back my boys and if we get the rub of the green – which we will need – and we play well, something might just fall our way.
“It’s a draw the fans will really look forward to.”
East Kilbride booked their place in round three with an emphatic 5-0 win over Caledonian Braves on Saturday.
While ex-Aberdeen defender Rutkiewicz reckons it is a “glamour tie” for his side, he knows it makes reaching the fourth round a much tougher prospect.
He added: “It is absolutely a glamour tie for us.
“I could have been happier. I’d have preferred a home draw and a much more winnable game, but looking at the other side of it, we’ve avoided any long journeys and, with it being a derby, hopefully we can drum up a lot of support for it.”
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