East Kilbride boss Stuart Malcolm says their penalty shootout win over Premiership side St Mirren in the Betfred Cup is a huge boost ahead of their Lowland League title defence.
Kilby recorded the best result in the history at K-Park on Saturday when they stunned Jim Goodwin’s men, holding them to a 0-0 draw over 90 minutes before going on to earn a bonus point with a 6-5 victory in the shootout.
It was one of only five non-league wins or draws against top flight opposition since 1960.
The Lowland League gets underway this weekend, but Kilby don’t start their campaign until next Wednesday due to their involvement in the Betfred Cup.
EK will travel to Dalbeattie Star for their opener on July 31 and Malcolm is in buoyant mood after watching his charges perform so well against a top flight outfit.
He said: “Everyone knows we are using these Betfred Cup games as pre-season, but we still want to get positive performances and that was one of them.
“There’s a huge gulf in the levels St Mirren are at compared to us, but we still managed to pass the ball well in spells and I was very pleased with everyone.
“In our league we’ll see more of the ball, but this will give us huge confidence.
“As long as we play at that level and show that commitment, it will stand us in good stead for the league.
“We were missing Darren O’Dea, who has obviously been brought in to be a big influence, and Craig Malcolm who is still to come back.
“He’s a massively influential player for us, our club captain and a player who knows how to get goals, so we’ve still got masses of experience to come back into the squad as well.
“It’s been a really good pre-season for us so far.”
Kilby followed the St Mirren result with a 1-0 win over League Two Edinburgh City on Tuesday night.
It now means they travel to group leaders Dunfermline on Saturday, where a win would likely take them through to the knockout stages.
And Malcolm is looking forward to the challenge.
He said: “Dunfermline will be another big test for us, especially away from home.
“It’s a huge ask for a Lowland League club and we’ll give them the respect they deserve.
“But I’m confident in our guys and I know what we’ve got.
“In one off games I think we can compete with a lot of sides up to the Championship and League One.
“On our day we can give these teams a good game.”
Malcolm is expecting to ring the changes as he plots his best starting 11 for the league.
He added: “We will probably try and get some other boys game time on Saturday.
“We’ve got to be careful with Ryan Sinnamon. He’s got a wee issue with his thigh and Danny Carmichael has got a wee issue with his hip, so we just need to manage them properly.
“My job is to have them fit for the league season, so we will be careful with the squad we put out.”
