East Kilbride...2 East Stirlingshire...0
East Kilbride caretaker boss Stuart Malcolm has mysteriously blamed “external factors outwith the club’s control” for last week’s defeat to Civil Service Strollers.
His revelation came after his Kilby players bounced back from that shock 3-1 reverse to sweep aside East Stirlingshire at K-Park on Saturday.
Second half strikes from Paul Woods and Craig Malcolm were enough to sink Shire and edge Kilby to within a point of leaders Kelty Hearts, who have played a game more.
It was a big win for Malcolm and keeps his hopes alive of succeeding Brian Kerr on a permanent basis.
But when asked if he was pleased with his side’s response to the defeat at Strollers, Malcolm hinted his players had been distracted ahead of that poor showing in the capital.
He said: “There were some external factors outwith the club’s control that led to that – and that’s all I’m going to say about it – but I thought the lads were excellent this week.
“Ultimately, I’m delighted with the reaction.
“They have been first class since Brian and I came in and I thought they were excellent on Saturday.
“The way we controlled the game and the tempo of our passing was very pleasing.
Highlights - East Kilbride 2-0 @TheShireFC https://t.co/zi8XvmUV4e
— East Kilbride FC (@officialEKFC) November 4, 2018
“We had to be patient for the first goal, but we played some good stuff and showed our quality.
“The boys battled excellently.”
Malcolm did not wish to elaborate on the “external factors” at play, but three weeks on from being appointed on an interim basis there is no sign of him being confirmed in the position.
If that uncertainty had distracted his players the previous week, there was no sign of it at K-Park as Kilby produced an assured display in difficult conditions.
Kilby took the lead in 58 minutes with a fine move. Graeme Holmes drove into the Shire half and slipped in Woods with a perfectly-timed pass, allowing the winger to waltz past Shire keeper and slot into an empty net.
Within 10 minutes skipper Craig Malcolm wrapped it up with an improvised effort, latching on to Sean Winter’s knock down and sliding in to send the ball into the top corner.
Stuart Malcolm added: “The first one is really well-worked goal and the second Malky sees the opportunity and slides in. He’s the type of player who will do all he can to get on the end of a ball and get a goal out of nothing.”
Five points now separate the top six teams in the table and Malcolm said: “It’s going to go right down to the wire.
“It’s a really competitive league where teams can all take points off each other.”
EK host Preston on Saturday in the fourth round of the South Challenge Cup. Kick-off at K-Park is 3pm.
