New East Kilbride Thistle boss promises Showpark shake-up when he takes reins this summer

Daily Record

01-05-2025

East Kilbride Thistle have appointed Stephen Kane as their new manager after Mark Steele stepped down last month. And the latest man in the Showpark hot-seat has promised a complete overhaul of the squad in the summer as they look to make an impact in the West of Scotland Fourth Division next season. Controversy has surrounded the appointment, with the Jags reneging on a deal to keep Steele in charge for next season. The club publicly announced on March 31 that Steele has signed a new deal to take the Jags for the 2025/26 campaign, but a fortnight later Steel 'reluctantly' stepped down after discovering the club were working in the background to recruit a different manager to lead them. That candidate has been revealed to be Kane, who has been in charge of Scottish Amateur outfit Glebe Hibernian for the last five years and guided the team to a 20-month unbeaten run in the Saturday Morning Premier League. Kane will not take the reins until the end of the season with Steele's assistant John Hughes taking the team for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign. But the former Forth, Wishaw and Thorniewood midfielder has plans for a big Showpark shake-up this summer. The 29-year-old said: 'I'm excited to get started but I am not taking the team until after the end of the season. I think that is the best thing to do in terms of me being able to focus on recruitment. 'It would be difficult to juggle the current team and what I am looking to do. 'It is best for me to come in at the end of the season with a clean slate. 'I have had a good run at it in the amateurs and I have about 12 or 13 bodies coming with me to Thistle, plus my own management staff, next season. 'There's a few experienced players I will bring in from there and try to make an impact in Division Four next season.' On his appointment, he added: 'I was speaking to East Kilbride Thistle before the previous manager [Steele] was appointed, so I always thought there was a chance it would come up again in the summer. 'He has left now and the club has appointed me, so I'm looking forward to next season. 'I'm looking to get a team on the park that can improve on this season's performance. 'Hopefully we can get some people through the gates as well. When I've been at games recently, it [the Showpark] has been quite bare so it is trying to get the club back on the map. 'Division Four is a hard league. There's good teams in it, but anyone can beat anyone really. It looks to me like they are all 50/50 games.' Kane admits it will be a short summer for the club, as he is keen to get started and implement a new schedule. He said: 'We are looking to start pre-season at the end of June. We will be in earlier than most because of all the new players coming in. 'We'll be looking at 20 new bodies coming in and we'll be training three times a week, rather than twice, which will be a wee bit different for everyone. 'It is usually twice a week at this level but the gym the guys have at the Showpark now gives me an opportunity to do another session together through the week.'