Malcolm nets hat-trick for goal-hungry troops
280718ekfc_006 East Kilbride...............10 Selkirk ..........................0
Paul Thomson at K-Park
Hat-trick hero Craig Malcolm reckons East Kilbride’s recordbreaking annihilation of Selkirk shows their hunger to win back the Lowland League title.
Rampant Kilby smashed 10 goals past sorry Souters without reply on new boss Brian Kerr’s competitive debut – and they recorded the biggest opening day win Scotland’s fifth tier has ever seen.
Their victory also equaled the record for the biggest winning margin, ironically set by Selkirk last season when they beat Hawick 10-0 in August. But the highest scoring match came in the inaugural season back in 2013 when Spartans smashed (yep, you guessed it) Selkirk 11-2.
EK, champions in 2016/17, took the lead through a Ludovic Erhard own goal after three minutes and they never looked back as new club captain Malcolm hit a treble and Anton Brady, Scott Stevenson, Craig Howie, Graeme Holmes, Jamie Longworth and Jay McInally all got in on the act.
Selkirk boss Terry Ferguson quit just hours after the humiliating result as Brian Kerr’s side soared to the top of the table on goal difference.
Malcolm believes the manner of the victory displayed their desire to win the title and claim that elusive promotion to the SPFL.
The striker said: “The boys have hit the post the last couple of years in the worst ways possible, so there’s a real hunger in there to go a step better.
“This will do everything for the confidence. I don’t think there’s anybody