East Kilbride are top of the tree for Christmas after marching five points clear of their nearest rivals at the Lowland League summit.

But boss Mick Kennedy has warned they need to maintain their levels of consistency when they return to league business after the festivities.

Kilby hammered Berwick Rangers 5-0 on Saturday, while nearest rivals Celtic B and Caledonian Braves both drew 0-0 with Tranent and Cowdenbeath, respectively.

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That gives Kennedy’s side some breathing space with a game in hand, but he warned that their competitors slipping up shows they need to bring their A-game every week to stay in front.

He said: “I felt the last few weeks we have really been getting to high levels and it has been a really strong week for us after beating Celtic, Broomhill in midweek and then Berwick on Saturday. We are in a good place going into Christmas. We have a game in hand and we could go eight or nine points clear of our nearest rivals.

“But what the last few weeks have shown us, with teams around us dropping points, is that if you are not at it, you can quite easily slip up in quick succession.

“It is just important we show a level of consistency. The squad is back to full strength now and we are in a really strong place.”

Kilby do have one more game before tucking into their Christmas dinner, with a South Challenge Cup last 16 tie at Pollok on Saturday. Kennedy is very familiar with their opponents from his Darvel days in the West of Scotland League and is expecting an exciting clash.

He said: “I’ve got a lot of time for Pollok as a club, they have a massive fanbase, but they are struggling a wee bit at this moment in time.

“The dimensions of the pitch there will be a lot smaller than what we are used to in our own league, but the surface is good.

“It is one we are looking forward to because I’m sure there will be a massive crowd there for it.”

Meanwhile, Kilby have released striker Steven Boyd and midfielder Calvin McGrory at their own request.

Kennedy explained: “Calvin has come back from a knee injury. He had an operation recently and he just felt it was better that he did his rehab away from the club to focus on getting back fit.

“Steven was about lack of game time and he wanted to move on.”