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Boss Lauchlan demands consistency
Martin Lauchlan insists East Kilbride must be more consistent this season if they are to win the Lowland League.
The honeymoon period is over for the Kilby gaffer as he prepares to begin his job in earnest on Saturday afternoon away to Whitehill Welfare.
He’s taken charge of 10 competitive games since replacing Billy Ogilvie at the helm, leading the team to cup wins in the East of Scotland and Lowland Cups.
But the league is what it’s all about this season and Lauchlan will know he can ill-afford to make a slow start.
Last season Kilby lost seven and drew seven of their 28 league encounters, finishing fifth and 24 points behind champions Edinburgh City, who went on to win promotion to League Two.
The run to the last 16 of the Scottish Cup and a famous tie with Celtic had an impact on East Kilbride’s title aspirations but, in truth, the league had already run away from them three months earlier in November when they trailed an imperious City side by 11 points.
By the half way point in the season, Billy Ogilvie’s East Kilbride had lost three times (to Gala Fairydean Rovers, Edinburgh City and Preston Athletic) and drawn on four occasions (with Spartans, Stirling Uni, Cumbernauld Colts and Preston) over 14 games.
“We can’t afford anything like that this season,” said Lauchlan.
“This team has got to be more consistent and we need to be doing that right from the start. That’s going to come down to good performances on the park from every player.
“The players know what’s expected of them – that they play to their maximum potential, play for each other and have a good workrate. “If we get that, we won’t be far away. “A good start is very important and the plan is to get points on the board early.
“We did well in the cup competitions last season but this time the focus has got to be on the league rather than being distracted by the cups.”
In search of that consistency, Lauchlan has signed three new defenders to shore up his defence, bringing in David Proctor, James Brough and Fabio Capuano.
“I’ve added a bit of experience to the back line that wasn’t there last season,” said the Kilby boss.
“We’ve brought in Proctor and Brough who have been around the game for a while and Fabio will do a job at right-back.
“When you look at the games since I came in (in April) we’ve not lost many goals, so I think I’ve made that area a lot stronger.”
Lauchlan comfortably led Junior side Rossvale to glory in the Central District Second Division in his previous managerial post but he is too shrewd to declare he will deliver an elusive crown to K-Park this season.
“I’m confident we can win it, but I’m not over confident,” he stressed.
“I’ve been given two years to take this club up to League Two and I want to do it at the first attempt.
“But I’m not daft enough to think that it’s going to be plain sailing.
“It will be tough every week because teams around us want to win the league as well. We need to work hard and earn the right to win it.
“You’ve got to remember we finished fifth last season, so there are teams who finished above us determined to improve on where they ended up. And you’ve got East Stirling coming down, too.
“They have improved their squad and they look much better than last season in League Two, so I would say they’ll certainly be going in as the favourites for the league.”
During the last two seasons Edinburgh City won the league at a canter (by 19 and 15 points, respectively), but with that dominant force moving to pastures new, Lauchlan is predicting a much more open contest.
He said: “I don’t think anyone is going to run away with the league like Edinburgh City have done before.
“It will be a tight league with a lot of ups and downs and teams beating each other, so that is going to make for an exciting title race.
“I think it will go to the last few games of the season and there will be very little in it.”
It will be tough every week because teams around us want to win the league as well