Spartans defeat good for East Kilbride, says boss as 'reality check' dished out
East Kilbride boss Mick Kennedy says their opening day humbling by Spartans could be a good thing as it serves as a reality check for his players.
Tipped as title favourites, Kilby went down 3-1 in front of a sold-out home support, which also included special guests and Old Firm legends Ally McCoist and Paul McStay.
It wasn't the start the Lowland League champions were looking for in League Two, but Kennedy feels it may serve them well in the long run.
He said: 'With all the build-up, people saying we are favourites and then when we lose, everybody is having mass panic.
'But I don't think Saturday will be a bad thing because it should be a reality check for everyone. There is nothing wrong with being favourites, but if anyone thinks it is going to be easy, that's a different thing.
'It is probably not a bad thing for the players to lose that game because they have been so good in pre-season, they've had some good results in the cup campaign and, with the exception of the Inverness game, there's been a lot of positives.
'So this reminds them that they need to stand up and manage the expectations. There was a general flatness about us on Saturday, we weren't at it in terms of intensity, but that is all stuff we can fix.
'I know we've got a very strong group of players when everyone is back fit, so there are no issues there.'
Kilby now make the long journey north today to face Elgin City, a side they have already beaten this season with a 4-1 win in the Premier Sports Cup last month, but Kennedy insists it will be a different game.
He added: 'The challenge will be slightly different because when we played Elgin up there, they went after us for spells and we hurt them for that, so I would assume they'll set up differently.
'But the pressure is on. You don't want to be losing too many games early on, you want to build some momentum so we need to go and get a good result.'
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