Both sides shared the points with home victories, last season – with Civil Service Strollers winning 3-1, and East Kilbride winning 2-1.

East Kilbride currently sit top of the Lowland League with 23 points from their nine games played – made up of seven wins and two draws.

Mick Kennedy’s Kilby are the only undefeated team in the Lowland League, as well as being the top scorers – with 35 goals and conceding only nine, and come into this having knocked Whitehill Welfare out of the Scottish Cup with an 8-0 victory.

Civil Service Strollers currently sit in 6th place with 17 points from their ten games played – made up of five wins, two draws, and three defeats.

Strollers come into this fresh off a Scottish Cup First Round 2-1 victory over Camelon Juniors – securing a home tie against League Two side, Stranraer.

East Kilbride and Cowdenbeath are the only remaining teams who are undefeated, this season.

Both managed to leave with an away win, last season – Cowdenbeath winning 1-0 at K-Park, and East Kilbride leaving Central Park with a 3-1 victory.

East Kilbride currently sit top of the Lowland League, with five wins and a draw – equal on 16 points with Hearts B, but with a better goal difference and game in hand.

The Kilby are the joint-top scorers in the league, having scored 20 goals in their six games played.

Cowdenbeath have won two of their five games played, drawing the other three.

Prior to midweeks 0-0 draw with the best defence in the league, Broomhill, the Blue Brazil were scoring at least two goals a game – with their biggest victory coming in the shape of a 7-1 drubbing of Edinburgh University.

East Kilbride haven’t lost to Celtic B since December 2021 – with last seasons results being a 2-1 win at the Excelsior, and a 2-2 draw at K-Park.

The Kilby also knocked the Young Hoops out of the SPFL Trust Trophy, three weeks ago, thanks to a 3-0 win.

East Kilbride sit in 2nd, are one of only three teams who have yet to taste defeat in the Lowland League – winning four of their five games, and drawing the other.

The Kilby are also the league’s top scorers with 18 goals, and come into this off the back of a 9-0 demolition of Nithsdale Wanderers in the South Challenge Cup.

Celtic B have lost three of their six games – 1-0 v Cumbernauld Colts, 3-1 v Civil Service Strollers, and 2-1 v Berwick Rangers.

When the Young Hoops find a victory, they turn it to the max – defeating Caley Braves and Gala Fairydean Rovers 5-1 and 5-0. They drew their other game 2-2 with Cowdenbeath.

East Kilbride failed to find a win over East Stirlingshire, last season – drawing 1-1 at K-Park, and losing 1-0 at Falkirk Stadium.

The Mick Kennedy era got underway with a 2-1 win over Broomhill – with Calvin McGrory’s ‘Goal of the Month’ being the decider, followed by a comprehensive 7-0 win away to Gretna.

The Kilby managed to salvage a point away to Stirling Uni – as Andrew Stirling equalised for 10-man EK.

East Stirlingshire failed to pick up any points from their first two games – losing 2-1 at home to Tranent, followed by a 2-0 defeat away to Gala Fairydean Rovers.

Drawing 0-0 with Civil Service Strollers, last weekend, The Shire managed to get their first points on the board, and they’ll be aiming for more – coming up against a side they didn’t lose to, last season.

Two-time Lowland League Champions, East Kilbride will be looking to improve on their 6th position, last season. They did, however, retain the Lowland League Cup in a repeat final of the 21/22 season against Bo’ness United.

A lot has changed at East Kilbride over the summer, as new boss Mick Kennedy had a mass exodus of the squad – with Dylan Macdonald being the only first-team player from the previous campaign. Kennedy has set his sights on challenging for the title – recruiting the likes of now captain, Liam Brown from Queen’s Park, Callum Tapping from FC Edinburgh, Marc Kelly from Caley Braves, and some familiar faces from his Darvel days, amongst others.

Under the guise of ‘Open Goal’, Broomhill saw the 22/23 campaign end with them 11th in the Lowland League table, on 51 points. There’s also been a period of change since their partnership with the podcast ended. The club have reverted back to ‘Broomhill’, have a new badge, and have also left their home for last season, Broadwood, laying down roots with a five-year deal to call Dumbarton their home.

The opening fixture of the season will be an interesting one, coming up against former manager, Simon Ferry, as he now stands in the EK dugout as Mick Kennedy’s Assistant. Stephen Swift will be looking to steady the ship and bring continuity, hoping to replicate the successive top-four finishes of 2018-2021.