By Paul Thomson

Copyright dailyrecord

John Robertson has set his sights on a career-best goals tally in the SPFL after hitting his 12th goal in 12 games for East Kilbride on Saturday. The former St Johnstone striker netted from the penalty spot to give Kilby the lead in a League Two clash with Dumbarton at K-Park, before the Sons found a late leveller to prevent EK going back to the top of the table. Five of his strikes have come from the penalty spot, while he hit an incredible five-minute hat-trick in the final five minutes of a 4-2 win at Raith Rovers in the League Cup in July. His best-ever tally for a campaign is 16 at Edinburgh City in season 2022/23, so he is quickly closing in on a personal record in the SPFL with Mick Kennedy’s men. The 24-year-old said: “It has been a very good start to the season and 12 is definitely my best start. My best-ever tally in a season was 16 at Edinburgh City so I’m only a few off that with most of the season to go, so I’m definitely going for a career-best. “That’s five games on the bounce I’ve scored, although three of them are penalties, but they all count! “All in, I’ve scored five penalties in the 12 so the guys are calling me a pen merchant now. “But it has been a good feeling to have such a good start. “When I was at Edinburgh City a few years ago I started off well there, but I am a wee bit older now and I’ve learned not to go looking for the goals all the time. “Now they kind of just come and you get yourself in the right positions.” Asked what the secret has been to his success, Robertson added: “I think it is down to playing under the gaffer. “The freedom he gives me out wide, there’s not really much pressure on me. “We’ve got a great team as well, with good midfielders around me and good defenders behind me. So when we get the ball, we get left to do what we want to do and when the chances come I’ve been taking them.” Robertson couldn’t build on his tally on Tuesday night as a depleted Kilby, who could only name three substitutes, lost 3-0 at Stenhousemuir in their latest match in the KDM Evolution Trophy. This afternoon Kilby are back on league duty when they travel to Galabank to face lowly Annan Athletic, who have lost four from seven games. EK will be looking to close the two-point gap at the top of the table from leaders Spartans, after failing to fully capitalise on the Edinburgh side’s defeat to Stirling Albion last weekend. Robbo said: “Annan is a good place for me. I got promoted with Edinburgh City down there so that is a good venue for me. “I know Annan got beat 6-0 [by Clyde] the other week and lost again last weekend [at Forfar], so I think they will be wanting to make up for that. “I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can get back to the top of the table and push on because last Saturday was a tough one for us [against Dumbarton]. “We have gained a point but with Spartans getting beat we’ve missed the chance to go top of the table again. “It was the same feeling at Edinburgh City the week before [a 2-2 draw] as well. If we’d won those last two games, we’d be four points clear of Spartans and starting to open up a gap.”