New East Kilbride signing Lewis McGrattan has made the switch to part-time football after leaving Airdrieonians, but insists the Kilby training sessions have been just as intense, if not more, than his full-time experience.
As exclusively revealed last month, the midfielder was a big target for boss Mick Kennedy and was in the stands to see Kilby cuff Kelty Hearts 4-0 on June 28. Last week, he put pen to paper on a season-long deal at K-Park and on Saturday marked his debut with the opener in a thumping 5-0 win over Irvine Meadow.
Intensity Surprise for McGrattan
The 25-year-old settled in quickly and admitted he was surprised by the intensity of training at the club, noting it belied their part-time status. In recent seasons that intensity seems to have been too much for some, with a few players signing for the club and quickly being sent on their way by gaffer Mick Kennedy after failing to cope with the standard.
McGrattan said: "The standard is very high and I knew that before I came here. But it still kind of took me by surprise just how intense it has been and the work that goes into it here. That can only be a good thing for the squad."
New Faces and Team Dynamics
He added: "The boys look really good. They have come up from League Two but a lot of boys from that squad have left. I think there's 13 or 14 new faces so far. I was at the Kelty game the previous week and the boys looked really good in spells, then on Saturday we were looking really good as well, so we'll see how we end up."
McGrattan believes the part-time setup won't hinder performance: "Being full-time can make a difference, but seeing the way we have trained in my first sessions, I don't think being part-time here will make too much difference! This has been as intense as any full-time environment I have worked in so if the boys keep working as hard as they have been, I don't think fitness levels will be an issue."
Debut Goal and Transition
McGrattan broke the deadlock against Irvine with a fine finish after 24 minutes, collecting the ball just inside the box and curling a strike into the bottom corner. "It couldn't really have gone much better, opening the scoring on my debut," he said. "It has been a good first week and I am enjoying myself."
He acknowledged the adjustment to part-time football: "I have only trained a few times, taking the transition into part-time, but the staff have been great and so have the boys. My working week has changed a bit. All my adult life so far I have been full-time, training every day, so going part-time is just something I will need to get used to. The most important thing is the game on the Saturday."
To fill his time, McGrattan is coaching summer camps: "I do my own coaching so I have got summer camps to keep me busy for the next wee while at least, then I'll need to look at something else once the schools go back."
Looking Ahead to Airdrie Reunion
His arrival at K-Park comes off the back of a two-year spell with the Diamonds where he helped them survive in the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign under Rhys McCabe, but couldn't repeat that feat last term amid a nightmare season which saw McCabe quit, Danny Lennon sacked after eight games and Aaron Taylor-Sinclair take the reins on the way to being relegated to League One via the play-offs.
That series of events has put McGrattan on a collision course with his old club, as Kilby travel to Airdrie in their second match of the league campaign on August 8. He added: "I know we face Airdrie in the second game of the season so it won't be long before I see them again and it will be good to go back there."
Reflecting on his time at Airdrie, McGrattan said: "It was gutting the way it ended at Airdrie with the team getting relegated. It was the last thing we wanted, obviously, but I really enjoyed my time there. I had two good years, albeit it was quite a challenging time for a number of reasons. The first season I was there we started really well, then lost 13 or 14 bodies to injury that left us fighting an uphill battle. Last season, Rhys McCabe left one game into the season and then we went through three managers in a season, so that was difficult. But I still take a lot from my time there into my time at East Kilbride and hopefully we can have a successful season."
