East Kilbride boss Kevin Rutkiewicz has warned his side they can’t afford a slow start to their Lowland League campaign after being handed a fearsome first five fixtures to start the season.
Kilby kick-off the new term on Saturday and face five games in 14 days.
But the fixture list hasn’t been kind with their opener away to newly-promoted Tranent followed by home clashes with Rangers B on Tuesday night and Hearts B on July 30.
Trips to Broomhill on August 2 and then Celtic B on the night of Friday, August 5, follow in what is one of the toughest starts of any side in the division.
Kilby, as two-time champions, will be among the favourites this season and Rutkiewicz knows his men must hit the ground running.
He said: “I don’t think whoever did the fixtures likes us, but seriously it’s a tough start, there’s no getting away from that.
“Going to Tranent, they will have their tails up from promotion last season and it will probably be a bit of a carnival atmosphere there.
“They might be unfurling a flag or there will be some sort of recognition for their achievement.
“But I don’t like being a guest at a party so we are definitely looking to go there and spoil that to start our season on a positive note.
“We are very aware how difficult that is going to be.
“If we start really well, the pressure is on to maintain that standard and we might be levelled favourites, but if you come out these five games with a couple of sore ones you might be playing catch-up. What I do know is that leagues are very rarely won and lost in five games so I think that, regardless of what happens, we just need to maintain our focus and keep concentrated on what the overall aim for the season is.
“We’ll approach each game individually and prepare them as best we can, then it’s up to the lads to go out there and perform.
“I think if they do that, they will have a good chance in all of these games.
“But there’s no doubt we will need to be at our best. There is no room to start in second gear, put it that way.”
The hectic schedule has left the K-Park gaffer perplexed and he reckons it’s not just tough on his side, but more so on rivals with fewer resources.
He added: “At the end of the day we’ve got to play everybody but my only gripe is how congested it is with the Saturday, Tuesday games and we play on a Tuesday then Friday as well.
“For the life of me, I can’t understand why they have to squeeze so many fixtures in so early.
“To go right into five games in 14 days or something like that after a tough pre-season is a big ask – and that’s not exclusive to East Kilbride.
“It’s the same for the other teams but it’s something that needs to be looked at for all clubs because some have bigger pools of players than others.
“We are fortunate we’ve got a deep pool but there are clubs less fortunate than us.
“But we are looking forward to Saturday getting our teeth into the competitive action.
“We are hoping it will be a very exciting season and the league is shaping up to be strong.”
If EK come through their Tranent test they will be looking to make a positive start at home against Rangers in midweek.
“One of the eye-catching things through the summer has been how much Rangers have recruited for their younger lads,” said Rutkiewicz. They’ve brought in three or four, spent a bit of money and they’ve recruited with a view to the future.
“Both them and Celtic are going to be extremely strong, as will Hearts coming into the league this year, but all we can do is concentrate on ourselves.
“I’m still fairly confident that we can give everyone in the league a game.”
Kick-off on Saturday is 3pm and Tuesday’s clash at K-Park is a 7.45pm start.
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