Martin Lauchlan has been installed as the new manager of Lowland League outfit East Kilbride F.C.

The former Rossvale Juniors boss was installed last night - just days after the Lanarkshire side ran out 4-1 winners in their East of Scotland Cup Final showdown with Spartans.

And his appointment comes just weeks after the ambitious club were involved in a high-profile clash with Celtic at their own K-Park.

Lauchlan had been linked with several high-profile jobs at Junior level ever since a severing of ties between him and the Bishopbriggs-based club at the end of last month.

And the rumours gathered pace when the one time Partick Thistle and St Johnstone player was spotted taking in Petershill’s 2-1 Euroscot Central League Cup defeat by Vale of Clyde at the weekend.

But just 24 hours later he and backroom team duo Carlo Girasolli and Paul Roberts went almost unnoticed among the crowd watching on as Kilby defeated Spartans played at Albyn Park, home of Broxburn Juniors.

The trophy success had been ordained as outgoing E.K.gaffer Billy Ogilvie’s final game at the helm because of the pressures of work commitments.

Last night, ahead of meeting his players for the first time, Locky spoke of his hopes for the club's future.

He said: "I believe Billy’s situation more or less mirrored my own at Rossvale insofar as he was similarly willing to stay on as manager until the end of season.

"But the club preferred to bring a new man in to get a feel for the playing squad’s strengths and weaknesses over the next few months.

“Winning a trophy in his last game in charge makes him a hard act to follow, but I always believed that was going to be the case in light of EK’s marvellous run in this season’s Scottish Cup before losing out against Celtic in the last 16.

“But I didn’t hesitate when the post was offered to me, not least because I’m excited about the overall project and cannot help but feel this is the right job at the right time for myself.”

Locky insists he will not be rushed into making changes at the K-Park, yet pointedly didn’t rule out making a few signing raids on the Juniors in order to better his playing hand.

He said: "Only our club captain Barry Russell and the experienced Winters were known to me beforehand, but I’ve now taken in several EK games and have a fair idea of what players can and cannot do.

“They are a well organised bunch as you might expect from such a professionally run club whose aim is to further develop their established youth set-up by fielding an Under-20 side in the West League next season.

“No doubt players will work their way through the ranks to play for the top team, however I will have no qualms about looking to the Juniors if there are guys identified as capable of making the step-up.

“This might be a totally different market, but Carlo, Paul and myself feel confident we can help improve East Kilbride’s lot.”

Meanwhile, supporters of West Region quartet Beith, Hurlford United, Kilwinning Rangers and Pollok will be understandably on tenterhooks awaiting the draw for the semi-finals of the ETHXenergy Scottish Junior Cup which is scheduled to be live streamed by PLZ Soccer later today ( 3.00pm).

Pre-draw bookmakers odds have 2014 winners Hurlford rated trophy favourites while the underdogs tag belongs to Beith, the only one among the last four standing never to have won the Holy Grail silverware or indeed played in the Final (their one and only previous semi-final appearance was in l992 when the Dennis Gray steered Mighty lost out against Glenafton ).