EK star off to Clyde
Howie leaves behind a message of hope for EK
Craig Howie believes that East Kilbride will follow him to the SPFL soon after his switch to League One
Clyde.
The centre-back was announced as the Bully Wee’s latest summer addition having been at Kilby since 2012. The 23-year-old, who was EK’s first centurion after 100 appearances and has captained the side on several occasions, admits it was a big decision to leave K-Park. Having spent two weeks on trial with the Broadwood outfit, he felt that the time was right to leave the Lowland League champions. However, he is confident that they will take that final step to win the promotion play-off and reach League Two in the near future. He told the News: “East Kilbride is the only club I have really known, I can’t really put it into words what it is like to leave. “I enjoyed my time there and came across so many amazing people, both behind the scenes as well as players and managers.
“I really don’t have a bad word to say about the club, I’m quite gutted I wasn’t there to really get them over the line and get promoted but I’m pretty sure they will still be able to do that even without me.”
After working his way up through the youth ranks Howie was handed his big break by former first team boss Iain King in August 2013 and took to the park for Kilby’s maiden season in the Lowland League, when they lost 1-0 away to Threave Rovers.
Over the past six years he has picked up two Lowland League winners medals and lifted countless cups, however he says the clash with Celtic back in 2016 was his stand-out moment while wearing the Kilby top.
“You look back and it’s the big games that stand out. The Celtic game epitomises it all, because of where we were in the Scottish Cup.
“Since then we have had so many big games, we have won the league and won cups, and last year I got to top it off with the Player of the Year award.
“It was a good ending for me. However, I’d have swapped my award for promotion any day of the week.”
He went on: “I think there is a real winning mentality at East Kilbride which has been built up over the years.
“The quality that has been in the Lowland League has just got better and better, and that only comes through teams in the league doing well. East Kilbride probably epitomise that more than anyone.”