East Kilbride Thistle boss enjoys dream start with Wishaw hammering
East Kilbride Thistle boss Stephen Kane admits a 5-1 win on his dugout debut surpassed his expectations, as he heaped praise on his players for their display at Wishaw.
The new Showpark gaffer watched his side run riot at the Beltane to stun one of the pre-season title favourites in their own backyard, claiming all three points in their West of Scotland Fourth Division opener.
Kierin Coleman fired Thistle in front after 20 minutes and Willie McLaren doubled their lead four minutes later for a 2-0 lead at the break. McLaren grabbed his second of the day in 59 minutes, before Wishy pulled on back in 75 minutes.
However, Jordan Grant restored the three-goal lead just three minutes later. He then rounded off the scoring with a stunning strike five minutes from time.
And boss Kane beamed: 'It was a good performance and a good win. We knew it would be a difficult game with Wishaw coming down from the Third Division, but we were clinical.
'We controlled most of the game and just switched off once. The boys were fantastic. Their attitude was great and I got the performances I wanted from them, all over the park.
'At half-time, I told them it could have been three or four at that stage and to be wary of them coming out strong in the second half. Wishaw came out strongly for a 10-15 minute period but once we got the third goal quickly after they scored, that was game over.
'But I didn't imagine before the game we'd end up scoring five goals.
'Our goalkeeper hasn't had to make a save in the whole game, so the only disappointing thing is that we haven't kept a clean sheet. The only thing the keeper had to do was pick the ball out of the net.
'Big Jordan could have scored three or four on Saturday, but he is a great lad and I was pleased for him to get his goals. He just needs to keep fit and keep working hard. If we do that, I'm sure he'll get more goals this season.'
Next up, Thistle travel to local rivals East Kilbride YM for a tasty derby clash at Kirktonholme on Saturday.
Newly-promoted YM went down 3-1 at home to Irvine Vics on Saturday and lost 4-1 away to Carluke Rovers on Tuesday night, but Kane isn't taking anything for granted.
He said: 'I have watched YM a few times already and they are a really good side. They will win a lot of games at home this season. They've got a really good squad and they took three of the players that were here last season.
'There will be a really good crowd there on Saturday and it should be a really good game.
'I still expect YM to be up towards the top of the league. I watched the highlights of their game on Saturday and I felt they deserved to get the win, they just missed a couple of chances.
'Going to Kirktonholme will be tough for a lot of teams, especially with the way they move the ball.
'I'm looking for the same kind of performance as we put in at Wishaw. The boys have set that standard now.
'For us it was important to get three points on the board early on and now it is just about trying to keep that momentum going, to see how far we can go this season.'
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