Edinburgh City content despite first draw of season

“What we lacked in quality we made up for in effort,” said Jardine. “That’s our first draw of the season and it ended up a well-earned point. We had chances in the first half, but we fought to the end and we could have lost it so maybe a draw is a fair result.”

City went close inside the first five minutes, Ian McFarland sending a low shot just wide of Matt McGinley’s right-hand post. The EK keeper then had to get down quickly to hold Mark McConnell’s effort from John Dunn’s knock-down, before McFarland headed over from an Aaron Dunsmore delivery.

Despite those early chances, it was East Kilbride who took the lead when Hastings got a deft touch on Ross McKinnon’s in-swinging free kick delivery from the right after 20 minutes.

Early sub Ross Guthrie almost levelled with his first touch after coming on, but McGinley was able to parry his close range left foot volley. McConnell again tested McGinley after a diagonal from Dunsmore wasn’t cleared, the keeper getting down well to tip the ball wide.

Guthrie missed a great chance to level nine minutes after the restart. He out-muscled Gavin Millar to get himself in on goal, but went for placement rather than power, allowing McGinley to block.

Dougie Gair was then inches away from an equaliser, the City captain’s curling effort on his weaker right side coming back off the underside of the bar.

A City goal was coming, and it arrived five minutes after the hour when Guthrie’s corner was headed against Paterson and dropped in.

The hosts then survived a late scare when Andrew Stobie had to stand up to block Sean Winter’s shot from close range with five minutes remaining.

Edinburgh City: Stobie, MacDonald, Donaldson, McKee (Guthrie 32) Mbu, Paterson, Dunsmore, McFarland, Gair (Allum 78), Dunn, McConnell.

East Kilbride: McGinley, O’Kane, Coll, Stevenson, Howie, Winter, Hastings, McBride (Smith 45), Gormley, McKinnon, Millar.