Bonnyrigg Rose set the standard for East Kilbride, but we want to take points off them

East Kilbride boss Kevin Rutkiewicz is full of admiration for Lowland League champions Bonnyrigg Rose, but is desperate to take points off them on Saturday.

Rutkiewicz says Rose have hit the standard that he aspires to achieve with Kilby, but doesn't want them to come to K-Park at the weekend thinking that they'll enjoy an inevitable victory.

Kilby set themselves up for the clash with a 4-0 Lowland League Cup group stages win at Dalbeattie Star last night, which has earned them a quarter-final clash with Berwick Rangers on April 23.

But Rutkiewicz wants his side to be on top form when they host the champions.

He said: "I was at their game on Tuesday night against the Spartans in the South Challenge Cup semi-final [4-1 win for Rose] and you can see why they've won the league, to be honest.

"Looking at my team right now, which is far different from the squad at the beginning of the season, because I've got a lot of young boys in there, and looking at Bonnyrigg... for loss of better words, what you've got is 'big, hairy ar**d men'.

"I could have taken that 11 at the Bonnyrigg game and I'm probably looking at something between 1500 and 2000 appearances between them!

"You can see how they manage games of football - the important headers, the important tackles that need to be won. They put their bodies in there and they win them.

"Robbie Horn, for the last three years, has been slowly nurturing and manipulating that squad to the way he wants it, and he's done a fantastic job, so that's what we're all aspiring to. Let's not kid ourselves on, here.

"I'm not going to sit here and say we're the best team in the league. People say 'on paper' but that doesn't matter.

"Bonnyrigg have won the league, they've won it comfortably, and