Hamilton Accies ace McGowan: East Kilbride journey straightforward, SPFL Trust Trophy tie will be anything but

Dylan McGowan admits Hamilton Accies are happy their SPFL Trust Trophy defence will continue just up the road at East Kilbride after their flight fiasco in the last round.

And he says while the journey may be straightforward this time, the sold-out clash at K-Park will be anything but.

The Aussie defender reckons Accies need to make sure they are at the top of their game in the South Lanarkshire derby if they want to enjoy the same success they savoured in Coleraine.

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Accies overcame flight delays at Edinburgh Airport on the day of that game to eventually beat the Northern Irish Premiership side 3-1, after a delayed kick-off.

But there should be such worries this time as Accies make the short jaunt up the A725 to take on Mick Kennedy’s Lowland League leaders.

Both sides are unbeaten in their divisions, so McGowan isn’t taking anything for granted.

He said: “I think the club is buzzing that we are not on another flight!

“For us, this is an important competition. We reaped the rewards from it last season so we’ll be looking to go as far as we possibly can.

“We know East Kilbride are a good side and have started really well. They’ve got good backing, a good manager and good players, so we’ll need to be on the top of our game to get through again.

East Kilbride are top of the Lowland League (Image: Gaynya Jo)

“For us, it is about keeping our momentum going and improving because I think there is a lot of improvement in us.”

East Kilbride have beaten League One sides already in the competition, knocking out Edinburgh City and Stirling Albion in the previous two rounds after an opening round win over Celtic B.

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Kilby have faced understrength teams in the past two rounds but McGowan insists even if Accies make some changes for thie clash, they will still be determined to win through and keep the trophy in their possession as long as possible.

He added: “Whether the manager decides to rotate the squad or not – because we do have a big squad and a competitive one – we’ll see, but I’m sure whoever gets to play will be right at it because of our history in the competition.

Accies fans celebrate Jamie Barjonas’ clinching goal in Coleraine (Image: DJT PHOTOGRAPHY)

“It’s a competition that you know the big boys aren’t in, so there’s always a chance you could win it.

“The early rounds are about getting through. You can’t win any trophies at this stage, so it is about staying in the hat as long as possible.”

Accies and East Kilbride met in last season’s Scottish Cup, with hosts Hamilton running out 4-0 winners in a third round tie in November.

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