East Kilbride Thistle boss Aaron Connolly is delighted to bring in a new goalkeeping coach to the Showpark to work with his two new shot-stoppers.
The Jags signed up Dawid Sauermann from Lowland League East Kilbride FC and Kai McQuarrie from West of Scotland Premier Division outfit Gartcairn to boost their ranks ahead of the new campaign.
And experienced head Iain Stewart – who has also been at Gartcairn and EKFC during his playing career – is on board to put them through their paces.
Stewart was in the Jags playing squad last season, but injury has forced him to retire.
Connolly said: “I’ve known Iain for a long time and he’s been a goalkeeper in junior football for a while at the likes of Cambuslang, Wishaw, Gartcairn and last season he played for us.
“He picked up a bit of an injury that put an end to his playing days in goal, but I’m delighted for him to take his first steps into coaching with us and help Dawid and Kai.
“A specialist coach for the keepers is something we didn’t have last season, so Iain will help us improve across the first team and under-21 goalkeepers, which is a real positive step forward.”
The Jags played their first pre-season friendly on Saturday as they ran out 4-3 winners over West of Scotland Second Division side Wishaw.
Connolly’s side, who will play in the Fourth Division this term after last season’s relegation, raced into a 4-0 half-time lead, thanks to a Mitchell Rooney double on his debut, plus strikes from Ally MacDonald and Dino Molinari.
“We can be really pleased with the overall performance levels in our first game back,” said Connolly.
“We were missing nine or 10 bodies due to holidays but I thought we were excellent in the first half. That was reflected in being 4-0 up. We played some really good football, scored some good goals and we dropped off a bit in the second half.
“There’s plenty of positives for us to look at.
“Mitchell Rooney getting a couple of goals on his first appearance will do wonders for his confidence.”
The Jags also learned their opening fixtures for the league campaign, with a trip to Newmains on July 29 to kick-off.
Connolly said: “Newmains away is a team we know well from last season, where we drew twice with them.
“I’m excited to have the fixtures out. We’ve worked really hard over the last few weeks to build up. The dates give us something to strive towards.”
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