25-07-2025
EK Thistle boss expects tough league start as they clash with 'title favourites'
Stephen Kane is looking forward to his first competitive game in charge as Thistle visit Wishaw
New EK Thistle boss Stephen Kane is looking forward to his first competitive game in charge this weekend, but knows his side face a tough opener in the West of Scotland Fourth Division.
The Jags travel to a Wishaw side among the title favourites this season, having been relegated from Division Three last season.
And after a summer overhaul which has seen 21 new players come through the door at the Showpark, Kane knows it will take time for his side to gel.
Looking ahead to the opener at the Beltane, Kane said: 'It will be a tricky game. I've watched them a couple of times in pre-season and I know a couple of their players so I think we will be in for a hard game.
'When the fixtures came out, Wishaw were probably the team that everyone wanted to avoid, but I think they will believe we are a good side as well.
'It is up to us to take our game plan to them and try to win the game.
'It is a big season with the club with so many teams going up and I think the committee will be looking for us to do that. I think we have the squad to do that.
'Eight teams go up [with league reconstruction next season] so we want to try and get in that bracket. If we can get up, that would be great. That is the real aim.
'We've had a total rebuild here. There's 21 new players in through the door so it will be difficult in the first five or six weeks to get our philosophy across.
'Our pre-season has gone quite well. We've been a bit up and down. We've had positive results at Ardeer [2-0], Lugar [2-1] and we were well beaten by Bonnyton [2-4], but the main thing was getting minutes in the legs for the boys and we've got our sights firmly set on Wishaw this weekend.'
Kane has strengthened ahead of the weekend with three fresh faces and he could yet add a couple more before Saturday's clash.
He added: 'We've got a squad in place now, albeit there might be a couple in and a couple out this week.
'I've signed Gordon Douches. He has been in my previous amateur side [Glebe Hibernian]. He wanted to stay in the amateur game because he's done the Junior game before when he played at Blantyre Vics, but I got a call from him last week saying he felt he'd made the wrong decision and wanted to join.
"He's got a slight ankle problem so we'll need to see if he will be okay for Saturday.
'We also signed Kieran Evans from Royal Albert in the left-back position, we've brought in Willie McLaren and Mark Montgomery to sort the wider areas.
'Now it is just about getting the game plan into the boys and executing it on a Saturday.'
