East Kilbride Thistle hope to host Kilsyth Rangers at the Showpark next weekend as they bid to play their first home game of the West of Scotland League season.
The Jags have spent the summer relaying their surface in a bid to solve a drainage problem.
While co-boss Russell Craig is grateful to other clubs for helping out – notably East Kilbride FC and Blantyre Vics – he says it’s important to get back home and create an ‘identity’.
Craig said: “We’ve been told it has been ear-marked for September 18 when the pitch should be ready, and that would be ideal if it was.
“Travelling to and from different parks to play – either K-Park or down at Blantyre Vics – isn’t great, ideally we want to try and get our own identity down at the Showpark, so it would be good to get back down there and start playing football.”
Between now and then, Thistle have the not-inconsiderable task of trying to topple Conference C leaders Drumchapel United on Saturday, and Craig admits anything they take from games like those are a bonus.
Eleventh-placed Thistle are focused on taking points from teams round about them, as they seek to take advantage of two or three games in hand they have over others.
He said: “Drumchapel have been flying this season and by all accounts they’re a class team.
“We know it will be difficult on Saturday, but it’s a challenge that we relish, and we’ll see how we get on.
“We know we have to try and beat the teams round about us; the teams up at the top end of the league, if we can take anything from them it’s a bonus.
“But we have to beat teams like St Anthony’s, Vale of Clyde and Vale of Leven, we’ve got to try and make sure we take three points in those games.
“The position in the league will look after itself in that way.”
Thistle did well to maintain their league position with a 2-0 win over St Anthony’s at the KG Stadium on Saturday, with Lee Bowers grabbing two vital first-half goals.
Craig admits he has been impressed with how the players have handled themselves after being thrown into a higher level this season.
He said: “We were delighted with the win, considering we had three key players out.
“We started really brightly, in the first 20 minutes we were exceptional, and then they changed it a wee bit, which slowed us down.
“We weathered the storm, got in at half-time 2-0 up, and in the second half they came out exactly as we expected, but we defended well and the boys were brilliant.
“The boys are well in it, in every game, and they’re getting better, but every game is a new challenge, because we don’t know the teams we’re playing against.
“They’ve adapted really well to the adult football environment, and I think they’ve been really good.
“They haven’t looked out of place, put it that way.”
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