Ex-Hamilton Accies star snapped up in trio of East Kilbride signings

East Kilbride boss Kevin Rutkiewicz says he had to move fast to snap up midfielder Ronan Hughes following his release from Hamilton Accies.

The Kilby boss has signed the 23-year-old alongside ex-Clyde defender Billy Mortimer (25) and former Dumbarton stopper Stephen Bronsky, 27, and says he’s not finished in the transfer market just yet.

Rutkiewicz still needs a goalkeeper to replace Conor Brennan, and is working hard on that, but hopes for positive news in the coming days after holding re-signing talks with striker Joao Victoria.

After bringing in Hughes, Mortimer and Bronsky – adding to defenders Jonathan Page, Conor Morgan and midfielder Andy Black – Rutkiewicz is happy so far.

He said: “We brought in three players there that add a mixture of experience, quality and energy, hopefully.

“I know Ronan really well, but we had to go quick with it – the longer a player like Ronan is out there, there will be teams swarming around him.

“Ronan’s at a place in his career where he just needs to play football regularly.

“I’m a huge admirer, otherwise I wouldn’t have been trying so hard to get him here. I’ve had the old chisel and hammer out, chipping away at him for the last four or five weeks.

“Ronan is a player of real quality, and if the club have that real ambition to keep this going for the next two, three, four years, Ronan could absolutely be part of that, but the responsibility there falls with the player, eventually.

“First and foremost, it’s great to get him over the line, and now along with Stephen and Billy and the rest of the team it’s just about preparing them now.”#

Bronsky and Mortimer have both been at East Kilbride before, and Rutkiewicz says that experience will help them, going forward.

He said: “I think it’s