Emotional East Kilbride hero Joao Balde on his play-off relief as promotion atones for Stranraer agony
The Portuguese midfielder broke down in tears at the final whistle as the achievement sunk in
Emotional Joao Balde admits he was overcome with relief after guiding East Kilbride to the SPFL - 12 months on from their extra-time heartbreak at Stranraer.
The Portuguese ace was guilty of missing some huge chances late on against the Blues before Kilby eventually succumbed 5-3 to Stranraer on aggregate last term.
But the former Rangers youth has enjoyed a redemption arc this season, leading the club to a treble-winning campaign and the holy grail of promotion that Kilby have been chasing since their inception in 2010.
After a 0-0 stalemate at New Dundas Park in Saturday's second leg of this year's League Two play-off final, EK enjoyed a 3-1 aggregate win to gain SPFL status.
At the final whistle, Balde broke down in tears as the achievement sank in and the midfielder was almost lost for words when asked what it meant.
He said: "I feel so relieved, especially after last season, with what we went through and the chances I missed. That made us even more motivated to get the job done this season and that's what we've done.
"It feels all worth it now and we'll just go and party for a while.
"We were the better side over the two legs. The intensity we train at is so high, they couldn't keep up and you could see that in the games.
"I 100 per cent want to stay on for League Two, so hopefully I'll see everybody again next season."
Gaffer Mick Kennedy is the 13th manager at East Kilbride in their short history but he has proved to be the lucky one for the K-Park outfit.
And he is delighted with the character Balde and his squad has shown to bounce back from last season's agony.
He said: "They felt like they let themselves down last year and let the club down because they are so well looked after for a part-time club in Scotland.
"It takes a lot of work and effort from a lot of volunteers for that, so guys like Joao - who missed a lot of opportunities last year - felt they owed the club something and he has been outstanding.
"They have all been outstanding, to be fair. To play 62 games, win a treble, to go to the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup and beat the number of senior teams we did from the Championship, it has been a remarkable season.
"I hear all the time that players only come to East Kilbride for the money but I don't think people realise how good the group is and how good the environment is, so the players were desperate to get up.
"It had to finish off with promotion or all we've done wouldn't have mattered."
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