Derby County and St Johnstone hero Craig Bryson will set high standards at East Kilbride, says Mick Kennedy

Mick Kennedy hopes bringing former Derby County and St Johnstone star Craig Bryson onto his coaching staff will set the professional standards for his squad - and help the team’s community connection.

Hometown hero Bryson hung up his boots last season after more than 600 senior games across spells in the top flight with Kilmarnock, Saints and Aberdeen, a period with Clyde, a brief loan spell at EK Thistle, as well an eight-year stint in the English Championship at Derby.

Now the 38-year-old has been appointed as EK’s new fitness and conditioning coach, alongside Chris McClymont.

Kennedy says it is huge for the club’s squad and fanbase to have a high-profile player on the staff, and he said: “Craig would have been an exceptional signing in his prime - I think he’d cost us £20,000 a week so he would have been well out of our reach - but it is great to have him on our team.

“Craig is a good lad. I know him well and he’s had a fantastic career.

“He’s looked after himself and it is always good to have players like that around the place, guys who set high standards and high expectations, but also live up to those standards themselves.

“Having people like Craig, who have got a connection to the community, helps massively.

“That was in the back of my mind as well, but there is also a bit of luck that needs to go into attracting more people from the wider community.

“I think for the club to progress and have some kind of sustainability, they need to engage better with the wider community and get bigger numbers through the gates.

“That comes from winning games of football and I hope we can achieve that.”

Blair Munn, Zander Cowie, Craig Claire McDonald, Scott Duncan and Gerry Hamilton all make up the rest of the backroom team.

They all took