Raging Kevin Rutkiewicz admits East Kilbride simply weren’t good enough as former player David Proctor and his Cumbernauld Colts side threatened to derail their Lowland League title hopes.
Kilby crashed to a 2-0 defeat at Broadwood on Friday night, as goals from ex-EK players Graeme Holmes and Billy Mortimer sent them slipping to sixth in the table.
And Rutkiewicz says everybody needs to take the criticism on the chin – including him – after a costly defeat.
He said: “I’m still raw from the result, and the manner of the performance – we just weren’t good enough.
“It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what went wrong. Both teams had been without a game for three weeks, so there was always that danger, but we just weren’t at it.
“Credit to Cumbernauld – they looked hungry, they were biting into challenges a wee bit more than what we were, they were running a wee bit harder than what we were.
“All these wee ingredients, you put them all in one big bowl and you end up with a big difference.
“We huffed and puffed a wee bit in the second half, but truth be told, Cumbernauld could have scored one or two more, if I’m being honest, and I can’t pull the wool over people’s eyes with that.
“I’ve got to be honest with the fans that didn’t make it, because the fans that did certainly saw the performance and it just wasn’t good enough.
“That lies at my door. What needs to be said and done in-house will be done, but I picked the team, the squad, and quite clearly I got it wrong, so quite clearly it’s back on me to get it right.”
When asked if it hurt that Proctor came back to haunt EK, Rutkiewicz said: “No, not at all. I don’t take any greater pleasure in beating anybody, or take it deeper, regardless of who has been at the club.
“A defeat, to me, is a defeat, and it’s very cut and dried – if they beat you, they beat you, if you win, you win.
“It should mean as much to you if you win against any opposition, against any personnel, and it should hurt as much if anybody beats you – that’s the way I look at it.
“I’m hugely competitive and for me it doesn’t matter if it’s Pep Guardiola. You should be as hungry to avoid defeat and get the win, regardless.”
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