Healy: Old EK would have “chucked”game
Goal hero Daryl Healy insists t he old East Kil bride would h a v e “c h u c ke d i t ” a g a i n s t Stirling Uni on Saturday.
The big striker produced an acrobatic effort late on as 10-man Kilby came from 1-0 down to edge past the Students and get their Lowland League season off to a winning start.
EK finished seventh last season after Stuart Malcolm’s ruinous reign sent them tumbling down the table.
However, Healy reckons new boss
Stevie Aitken has brought a steeliness to the title hopefuls with his summer signings, and believes the new-look squad have a fighting spirit that was lacking last term.
Healy, who joined Kilby last season, said: “Stirling are really fit, so they’ll run all day.
“We gifted them a goal and that’s the kind of goals they want because they’ll take it, go 1-0 up and they’ll just sit in and run.
“They are a dogged t eam wit h a couple of good players, but we just dug in.
“Last year we would have chucked it if we went 1-0 down.
“That s hows y ou t he boys we’ve brought in are fighters and we’ll keep going in matches.
“The main t hi ng was t o win, s o hopefully we can kick on from here.
“We’ve got big signings, folk have c o me f r o m t h e P r e mi e r s h i p a n d Championship, so every game against us will be like a cup final.
“Teams will si t i n, t hey’ll t r y and get breaks, but we just have to try and get past that, and match them, and hopefully our quality will win us the games.”
Healy grabbed all three points for Ki l by wi t h a n ov e r he a d k i c k f r o m Darren Smith’s cross six minutes from time. He admits it could prove vital in the grand scheme of the season, where EK are expected to push defending champions Kelty Hearts for the title.
On his goal, he said: “It ’s no bad, eh? I’ve been injured pre-season, so I’ve only really trained last Tuesday, 45 minutes of a game on Thursday and the last 20 minutes there, so I’ve not really been up to speed.
“But I’ll take it.
“I’m just glad we got the win because as soon as you get a man sent off, you are chasing the game a wee bit.
“Mo m e n t s like that could be i mpor t a nt t owards t he e nd o f t he season.”