Steel: Youngsters showed mettle
Allan Steel hailed young guns Lewis Brown and Grant Dryburgh after they helped guide East Kilbride to the top of the table.
The Torrance House boss watched 17-year-old Brown land two tries in the 45-10 win away to Dalziel on Saturday before Dryburgh climbed off the bench to notch one himself.
It puts EK two points clear of Greenock Wanderers at the West Region One summit, having played a game more, and Steel said: “It was a good performance from the boys, particularly the younger ones in the squad.
“Lewis stood out in our pre-season tournament in Blackpool and he’s started every game this season. His ability to finish is great and not a lot of players have that at his age.
“That’s four times in six games he’s been our man of the match, so he’s going to be a really big player for us in the future.
“A lot of our youngsters are doing well and Grant Dryburgh is another one I’ve been pleased with.
“He did really well when he came on and was a standout with Lewis on Saturday.
“Despite Dalziel’s league position, it’s is always a difficult place to go and the opening exchanges were tight.
“But our discipline was good and we showed good intent going forward.
“It’s great to be top of the league, but nothing is decided at this stage of the season.”
Third-place Garnock come calling this weekend and Steel will have to look to his youngsters again, with Eddie Beaton, Lloyd McLinton and Paul Rosie picking up knocks.
Steel said: “That’s three players who have been excellent for us so we’ll have to assess the situation and come up with a plan for Garnock. They will be a tough opponent and they’ve had a pretty similar start to us.
“We’ll need to look at more of the younger players, but if we can attack the game the way we have been doing this season, then I’m sure we can come away with another good result.”