EK bounce back from devastating play-off loss

East Kilbride ...... 4 C’nauld Colts ..... 2 Colts. Goals from Sean Winter, Scott Stevenson, Adam Strachan and Joao Victoria helped Kilby ease past their opponents, who grabbed consolations through a Sean Brown strike and a Stephen O’Neill penalty.

Colts beat Kilby 1-0 at K-Park back in December and probably fancied their chances of causing another upset after Kilby’s exertions at Cowdenbeath.

But Martin Lauchlan’s men showed no sign of any hangover from their penalty shoot-out defeat last weekend and took the lead after just three minutes.

Dom McLaren’s long throw wasn’t dealt with by the Colts defence and Russell McLean’s header fell to Winter, who volleyed home from 10 yards.

EK doubled their lead in 36 minutes when Stevenson slammed the ball into the net from 10 yards out.

Within four minutes, Colts pulled one back in style when Brown rifled an unstoppable strike into the top corner from 20 yards.

But on the stroke of half-time Kilby produced the perfect riposte when man-of-the-match Strachan arrowed a free-kick into the top corner from 30-yards to kill off Colts’ hopes of a comeback.

Just three minutes into the second half, the outstanding Strachan went on a marauding 60-yard run before laying the ball off to Victoria to slot home number four with a low strike.

In 64 minutes, O’Neill scored Colts’ second of the day from the spot after Craig Howie gave away a penalty for a foul on Brown.

But Kilby comfortably saw out the game and Lauchlan was full of praise for his star man Strachan, insisting SPFL clubs would be mad not to sign the player in the summer.

The former Partick winger said: