Kevin Rutkiewicz has challenged East Kilbride to emulate Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United teams of old and improve in the second half of the Lowland League season.
Kilby sit third in the table, three points off leaders Rangers ‘B’ at the halfway point, and they, Spartans, Civil Service Strollers and Tranent are all on 35 points.
A thumping 5-0 win over Berwick Rangers on Saturday and a 6-0 rout of Gretna 2008 last Wednesday also boosted their goal-difference to plus-18, which they share with second-placed Stirling University and Spartans.
And Rutkiewicz will now take inspiration from Sir Alex’s successful United sides.
He said: “I’m delighted to sign off at the halfway point, if you like, with a couple of victories.
“If you had given me a point off the top of the league, in terms of the Lowland League teams, at the halfway point – with the turnover that we had in June and July – I’d have absolutely taken it.
“The pressure for us is that we need to get better now. We need to be gelling as a team. If we want to be where we need to be, we need to kick on.
“Teams that win leagues, that are successful, don’t wilt at the halfway point, they get stronger.
“Alex Ferguson got to Christmas and they were in the shooting match, but they seemed to get stronger every year at the halfway point.
“That’s the challenge now at our doorstep.”
Rutkiewicz has been pleased overall with Kilby’s season, but says they need to step it up.
He said: “I’m very pragmatic when it comes to football. We look at everything, and the win percentage since we’ve come in has been good.
“Having sat over the weekend and reviewed the first half of the season, we’ve been very disappointed in the games that we’ve lost – but there have been some good highs there.
“We need to find ways of getting more points in the second half of the season than we’ve achieved so far. If we do that we’ll certainly be in the shooting match.”
EK travel to South of Scotland League side Abbey Vale in the South Challenge Cup third round on Saturday, and Rutkiewicz expects a bruising encounter.
He added: “They’re big, very physical and I don’t think they’re going to welcome us down there.
“I think they’re going to want to battle us and sometimes that’s what games are all about.”
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