East Kilbride and Buckie renew play-off rivalry after 2017 powerkeg but Kennedy expects quieter affair in SPFL push

dailyrecord.co.uk:

East Kilbride and Buckie Thistle will renew their promotion rivalry this weekend – seven years after their last powderkeg play-off meeting.However, current Kilby boss Mick Kennedy expects the battle will be won and lost in midfield this time around after plenty of needle on and off the pitch when Kilby knocked Buckie out of the 2017 pyramid play-offs with a 4-3 aggregate win.

In the first leg of the 2017 clash, which ended in a 2-2 draw at Victoria Park, Buckie boss Graeme Stewart was sent to the stand after a touchline rammy, the then EK kitman Martin Fellowes was sent off for over-celebrating, coins were allegedly thrown at an East Kilbride player and a Buckie player was allegedly spat on during the match.

In the second leg, Buckie also had two players sent off. Fast forward to 2024 and the teams have once again been declared champions of the Lowland and Highland Leagues, respectively, and they will collide at K-Park on Saturday for the first leg of this year’s quest to reach the promised land in the SPFL.Buckie are still managed by Stewart, while Kilby have seen a host of managers try and fail to get them to League Two.With so much at stake, it is expected to be another fiery affair but Kennedy insists his side will be focused on playing football and believes success lies in the midfield battle.“I don’t think we’ve got that sort of personality within the group, so I don’t think there will be any danger of a repeat of that,” he said when asked about the last meeting.“The important thing for us is keeping it to our kind of game as much as we possibly can.“The Highland League teams are well-known for being particularly strong and direct, so that is something we will need to try and manage.“It is two very different styles