Lowly East Kilbride looking to outstrip Johan Cruyff’s Ajax

Perhaps Scotland's football focus this weekend should not be on Celtic or Rangers. Rather, it should be on the semi-professionals at East Kilbride, as they seek to go where the great Ajax side of 1971-72 could not. Step aside Johan Cruyff, Arie Haan and Johan Neeskens; step forward Kieran Gibbons, Martin McBride and Jacob Kean.

East Kilbride, who typically play in front of crowds of 150 in the Lowland League, equalled Ajax’s world record of 26 consecutive victories in competitive fixtures with a win against Vale of Leithen last Saturday. The feat was noted in Amsterdam; Ajax sent a message to the Scottish minnows, hailing a “Great job”. Twelve of these wins have come this season.

Now for the key part and, maybe, the denting of Ajax’s upbeat mood. National media outlets will flock to K-Park on Saturday afternoon to discover if East Kilbride, who have a sprinkling of former full-time players in their ranks, can reach number 27. Pre-match coverage has stretched as far as the Middle East.

“My phone has been ringing nonstop since Saturday but it’s great we are getting this coverage,” Martin Lauchlan, the East Kilbride manager, told the local newspaper this week. “I’ve got to thank East Kilbride News because they put this story out there and it’s amazing how people have responded to it.

“Both K-Park and myself have been taking calls every day from TV channels, radio stations and newspapers, so it’s been pretty hectic. But it’s something for everyone here to enjoy. This could be a momentous day for our football club and I hope the town get down to K-Park and give us their full support.”

East Kilbride, population 80,000, has never had a team in Scotland’s league setup but that may change. The Lowland League forms part of a recently introduced pyramid structure, with the champions entering a play-off system at the season’s end with the chance of moving into League Two. Understandably given their run, East Kilbride are 13 points clear at the summit of their league after 12 matches.

East Kilbride made headlines in the last campaign, when paired with Celtic in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup. Celtic won 2-0 in a match switched to Airdrie to accommodate a crowd of just under 8,000.

(Guardian service)