Friday 31 March 2017

The weekend preview

It's Ayrshire Derby weekend as our 23s travel to take on local rivals, Ayr United. This will be the first competitive meeting between the two sides for some time and it should be a cracker.

The seniors are also in league action as they welcome Renfrew to Rugby Park. They will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing result last week at the hands of Hibs Development.

The 15s are also at home as they face Glasgow City. The two sides have already met this season as they matched up in preseason. City won on that occasion but our girls will be looking to push on as the league season is now underway.

The Blues have no game this weekend whilst the u13 Whites have two. They welcome QoS on Saturday before travelling to Kilwinning on Sunday.

Good luck to all the girls. Let us know if you'll be going along to any of the games to support the girls!

Tuesday 28 March 2017

Be the Boss - Denham Kirkpatrick

We are going for the father v son angle for the second time after the Lyon boys matched up against each other in February. This time Denham Kirkpatrick is following in the footsteps of his offspring, KillieFC.com's match reporter Gary, and is looking to show him how it's done. You'd think that the elder statesman of the family would be the one to opt for the more traditional 442 but Denham is ripping up Gary's tactics board and packing the midfield as Killie head out on the road to the Highlands.


"I’ve been a Killie fan for over 40 years, the intrepid under 20’s reporter Gary Kirkpatrick is my youngest. Goodness his birth almost made me miss the ‘97 cup final, but of course I would have been at the hospital had he been born on May 24th. This is a game we really need to take something from but it won’t be easy, Caley will be saying this is a game they must win so it’s all to play for."

 FORMATION 4-5-1

GOALKEEPER
Freddy Woodman - Like most Killie fans I feel for Jamie, but Freddy has not done a lot wrong since he has come in so I’ll stick with him. He looks a top goalie in the making.

RIGHT BACK
Luke Hendrie - Luke has definitely solved the right back problem big time. I hope he likes it so much he stays around a lot longer. One of the few of Clark’s successes.

CENTRE BACK
Scott Boyd - Can’t say I’m totally convinced about him, tends to have some switch off moments which are costly. But the competition isn’t pushing him so I’ll stick with him. If Dicker wasn’t such a big loss to our midfield, I’d play him here instead.

CENTRE BACK
Kristoffer Ajer - No doubt this boy will be a player. Still needs to stick into his work but by the sounds of it he is very keen to improve. Even though he’s not ours, he still looks gutted after a bad result and I like that attitude. A mazy run goal would be great.

LEFT BACK
Greg Taylor - He always looks as if his face is tripping him but the wee guy just keeps improving. Targeted by every team in the league for high balls, he never gives up and gives as good as he gets. The Barton tackle is only a small claim to fame for this boy. Great crosses into the box as well.

RIGHT MIDFIELD
Rory McKenzie - No player seems to split the Killie support more than Rory, some just can’t see his worth. But he’s got a great engine and we will likely need his hard work in this game. Coming in off the wing running at defenders is his best asset.

CENTRE MIDFIELD
Gary Dicker - What a signing he has been, comfortable on the ball, just an all round good player. Need I say more, he must be one of the first names on the team sheet. Cool, calm and collected on the ball and industrious off it.

CENTRE MIDFIELD
Stevie Smith - He’s not fit that often which is my bugbear about him. I often wonder about players that are always injured, is it a lifestyle problem, who knows. But if he’s fit he adds steel and he has a sweet left foot. Terrible lack of pace but not so found out in the middle.

CENTRE MIDFIELD
Sean Longstaff - Another with a great engine and an eye for goal as well. Always gives 100% and runs himself ragged, but he’s a decent player too. Can’t fault him since he came in, I think he deserves his place.

LEFT MIDFIELD
Connor Sammon - The good thing about the Fish is that he adds to the attack and helps with Taylor’s lack of inches in defence. Not the most elegant of players but he’s rediscovered his form since coming home. Fair to say he looked like a fish out of water when he was at Hearts.

STRIKER
Kris Boyd - You can’t knock Boydie’s goal record, he misses some but he always comes back for more. Takes some abuse from opposing fans as well but he usually gets the last laugh. Down side is we look like we’re playing with ten men when we’re under pressure as he looks cut off.

"Hopefully Kiltie will be fit enough to be an impact sub, possibly for Sean or Rory. I reckon that team is flexible enough to change to 4-1-4-1 or 4-4-2 when needed. Lee McCulloch has struggled to react to other teams changing it so far, but hopefully he’s learning and we can strike it lucky in the shadow of the Kessock Bridge."

Monday 27 March 2017

Season Diary - Week 34


We have a tough few weeks ahead of us with Inverness away, a couple of teams from Glasgow and then Hearts at home on Good Friday.

Celtic Park has never been a happy hunting ground for us, but the SPFL title could be theirs by then, which may affect their concentration, and there is no reason we can’t get points off the other three teams mentioned.

The good ship Killie at last seems to have steadied a wee bit, not before time, but it will be difficult to carry any kind of stability forward with so many players leaving again in the summer.

McCulloch, or whoever is in charge at that point, will have to rebuild the squad once again.

The Trust, with the support of the club, will be launching its ‘Trust in Killie’ initiative on the Friday night in the Sports Bar before the match, with a special event planned for the next day at Rugby Park, stay tuned for more details.

Monday 20 March 2017

Season Diary - Week 33


For half an hour against the Jags it looked like we were going to give them a real doing, then we just seemed to cave.

The players went about their business with a real sense of purpose in the early stages of the game but when nothing came off we started punting high balls to a forlorn Boomer, and you know when that happens its normally goodnight Vienna.

Longstaff was being pushed off the ball too easily and big Conor literally looked like a fish out of water at times, we were not at the races and heading for certain defeat with a matter of minutes to go.

Credit to the players though for not giving up when most of us had.

A speculative effort by the floundering Sammon was helped into the net by Cerny in the Thistle goal and suddenly it was payback time again for the many times we’ve been robbed.

The fans rallied after we lost the goal, the players responded albeit we were more lucky than good, still, more vocal support wouldn’t go wrong.

Also nice to see us having first choice full backs for a change. Hendrie and Taylor are now first picks in everyone's "Boss" teams, despite both formerly plying their trade in midfield.

Tuesday 14 March 2017

Be The Boss - Iain Sherry

We're keeping it in-house again this week with KFCSA committee member Iain Sherry who does the majority of our interviews for KillieFC TV. If you fancy the opportunity to "Be the Boss" then get in touch HERE and let us know. Over to our current gaffer...


This week we are back at Rugby Park to play a Thistle side who have been in great form in recent weeks. Last week's win against County may have been fortuitous but we have been due some luck, especially after the 'Well and Dons games. This will be a stern test and with our home form being  poor we'll need to be on top of our game against a side which we have drawn twice with already this season in the league. Their talisman striker Doolan needs one for 100 goals for Thistle, so let’s hope he has to wait a bit longer. The home fans deserve some cheer so hopefully this Saturday will see a long overdue Killie victory.

 FORMATION 4-4-1-1

GOALKEEPER
Freddie 'Fingers' Woodman - The youngster has not done badly since joining Killie, I say we continue with him. Although, Jamie MacDonald should never have been dropped in the first place, a ludicrous decision by our former manager.

RIGHT BACK
Luke Hendrie - One of our most consistent performers this season and has made this position his own, we need to try and get him signed for next season.

LEFT BACK
Greg Taylor - Surely young player of the year another who has performed well and made this spot his own?

CENTRE HALF
Kristoffer Ajer - Kris has come into Killie with a great attitude and professionalism and has been a stand out. Well mature beyond his years.

CENTRE HALF
Scott Boyd - Has been a good addition to the Killie squad this year, and his experience is needed in a young back four.

CENTRE MIDFIELD
Gary Dicker - Another who has done well this season and who is the best midfielder in Killie's team which has been our weak area all season.

CENTRE MIDFIELD
Sean Longstaff - The Newcastle loanee has done well since January and scored important goals for us always keen to get forward to give the opposition defence problems.

LEFT MIDFIELD
Stevie Smith - If fit then Stevie Smith would fill this spot which has been a problem all season. His experience is vital although there are other candidates, none have secured it as their own.

RIGHT MIDFIELD
Rory McKenzie - Another position which has proved somewhat troublesome to fill with several players having been played there. I've gone for Mackenzie as he has started to get among the goals in recent weeks.

CENTRE FORWARD
Conor Sammon - After having had a hard time at Tynecastle, the Fish seems to be happier back in friendly territory. A good foil for Boomer, Sammon is another guy who we should be looking to get to Rugby Park on a longer term basis, as I doubt he has a future in Gorgie.

CENTRE FORWARD
Kris Boyd - The goal machine once again proved his worth at County and despite his advancing years showed when it comes to finishing he is still one of the best. Let's hope he stays fit for the rest or the season.

Season Diary - Week 32



We headed to Dingwall on Saturday without the influential Dicker and McKenzie due to suspensions, so we started with a bit of a makeshift team.

That said, Lee did try to replace like for like by drafting in Wilson and Roberts.

It was our turn to don the Dick Turpin masks though and send our far-travelled fans home delighted to have weathered the storm and snatched a late unexpected winner.

It was veteran Boomer who delivered the goods again breaking more records in the process, it’s almost a weekly occurrence now!

Kris is the only player to have scored 100 league goals with two teams, although one of them no longer exists.

It was a great result.

Not so great was the U20’s getting knocked out in their cup semi-final on Sunday.

It was 1-1 at the end of normal time but an offside goal for Rangers in extra time knocked the stuffing out of them and there was to be no way back.

Excellent effort but sadly no reward.

Wednesday 8 March 2017

Be The Boss - Gary Kirkpatrick

This week's "Boss" is none other than our own Gary Kirkpatrick. Yes, we're keeping it in house for this one, that's what he gets for not being available for the Development match report! Gary is a student of all things sport journalism at UWS and works not only with us, but the Kilmarnock Standard as well. It must be a real drag having to watch all that football as a part of your studies eh! Still, who else better to take on the team in a week when we have some big names suspended...



After the delight of a rare away victory in the league up in Perth, a fair bit of optimism surrounded our great club and support for our interim manager Lee McCulloch stepped up a notch - the departure of Lee Clark seemed like a distant memory. But as a staunch Killie supporter, I know all too well that we can’t get too carried away. And that was the message big Jig got across to his players in the run-up to the Motherwell clash, anticipating a fierce response from the Lanarkshire club after Mark McGhee’s sacking.

Saturday’s game started off fantastically but ended in bitter disappointment. ‘If you need a win, come to Killie’ was a phrase that did the rounds following the loss. So we head to Ross County this weekend in what is always a hugely difficult fixture. We’re missing key players in Dicker and McKenzie so Jig needs to rally his troops and show the fans that we really can compete for a top six place this season.

FORMATION 4-4-2

GOALKEEPER 
Jamie MacDonald - In my opinion, we need this guy back between the sticks. Woodman seems shaky, indecisive and overall, he lacks crucial first team experience. We can’t afford to have MacDonald sitting on the bench throughout an important end of season period. The number of points Jamie rescued for us last season is probably quite astonishing. He is a vital component of the team and we need him for the run in, starting in Dingwall.

LEFT BACK
Greg Taylor - It’s quite impressive to see a 19 year-old hold down a regular starting place with a top-flight club. Taylor is growing as a player at full-back and has showed he has a big future in the game. Keep it up wee man.

CENTRE BACK
Kristoffer Ajer - What a player this boy is going to develop into. He shows such calmness and composure on the ball and his passing ability is second to none. One of the first names on the team sheet right now and because he had Adam Rooney in his back pocket versus Aberdeen recently, I’m predicting a similar outcome with Liam Boyce (hopefully).

CENTRE BACK
Scott Boyd - I’d probably have Gary Dicker in this position but due to Stevie Smith’s injury (no surprise there), we’ll need someone reliable in midfield so that’s why ‘the other Boyd’ starts against his former club. Let’s hope his nostalgia is thrown to one side and helps keep County at bay.

RIGHT BACK

Luke Hendrie - One of the easiest decisions I’ll have to make. Hendrie is a class act and has been a consistent performer for us this campaign. The on-loan Burnley defender seems to be enjoying his stay here too and I think we all hope this guy is here following the summer window.

CENTRE MIDFIELD
Martin Smith - With the absence of Gary Dicker, young Martin has a huge responsibility to slot in seamlessly and do a job in midfield. He featured a few times under Lee Clark at the beginning of the season so he has some experience under his belt. I’ve watched him in the U20s recently and he’s a fighter so hopefully he can put in a determined performance.

CENTRE MIDFIELD
Sean Longstaff - From what I’ve seen of him, he’s a very hard working player and runs around like a dafty. His boundless energy is a key attribute in the middle of the park. He is still a young lad and makes mistakes but he’s bagged a couple of goals for us since his arrival. Hopefully he can get another against County.

LEFT MIDFIELD
Jordan Jones - He frustrates me a lot. I remember thinking during the Betfred Cup in the summer that we’ve captured a very decent winger here. But while he shows glimpses of skill and quality, he’s very inconsistent and can’t seem to take a simple corner. Jones only just gets into my team because I still feel he has something in his locker and something to prove.

RIGHT MIDFIELD 
Adam Frizell - Frizz is a talent alright but with McKenzie, Kiltie and Longstaff in front of him, he’s found it difficult to hold down a regular place. However, he’s a big player for the U20s and has something about him that can unsettle oppositions. He might not have the stamina and steely determination of McKenzie but if he collects the ball in the final third, his creativity can be dangerous.

STRIKER
Conor Sammon - The Fish has really surprised me since his return to the Ayrshire Killie. He endured a torrid first half of the season at Hearts but looks at home again. He puts himself about and got himself a goal against St Johnstone. I hope he continues in this vein and contributes to our top six push.

STRIKER
Kris Boyd - For all of the criticism I have directed towards the Killie legend, big Boydie is still the best source of goals at the club. He can’t really run and can’t really jump but he knows where the goal is. He’s one goal away from 100 league strikes at Killie and I really hope he smashes in one or two on Saturday. C’mon Boomer, show us your worth against the Highlanders!

Sunday 5 March 2017

Season Diary - Week 31



Lee showed some consistency in not changing his starting line-up this week, and I’m going to show some by reiterating my belief that we should give him until the end of the season and only then make a decision on whether it suits him and suits us.

We were slow out of the blocks on Saturday but as soon as we started playing the ball on the deck we were all over Motherwell and should have been three ahead going into the break.

The opposition shuffled the pack at the interval though and we never reacted which turned the game, and the score line, in their favour.

Although Boomer consolidated his credentials with his 200th top flight goal, I’d have replaced him earlier just to give them something different to think about.

Hindsight of course is a great thing, maybe next time the sun makes an appearance Woodman will wear a bunnet!

Condolences

The Board of the Killie Trust and the Committee of the KFC Supporters Association, on behalf of all Kilmarnock Football Club fans, would like to pass on their sincere condolences to our Company Secretary and former Chairman, Michael Johnston following the sudden and unexpected passing of his wife, Joanne. Our thoughts are with Mr Johnston and his family at this extremely sad time.

Friday 3 March 2017

Ladies Shaping Up Well !

"Ahead of Sunday's game against Hibs, we caught up with manager, Stewart Hall on how the senior squad is shaping up"

Are there any new additions to the senior squad?
We have made four new signings so far. Rhona Higgins formerly of Kilwinning and Jillian Campbell who was recently at St Rochs have joined that squad. The other two have played across the pond. Linzi Taylor has just finished a football Scholarship in Tennessee at Martin Methodist College. Costa Rican Internationalist, Fabiola Sanchez has also joined. She has played full time in Japan.
How will these players effect the squad?
These players will really strengthen the squad. Rhona is a big presence up front which brings a dynamic that we did not have last season. Jillian is a very technical midfielder with a good understanding of the game which brings more strength and depth to the midfield. Linzi is a very versatile player who can play anywhere across the defence and can also step into midfield. She has the range of passing that can unlock any defence. Fabi is another that is versatile and has bags of experience for such a young age. Her knowledge and ability make her a very strong asset to the squad.
With the first few competitive games out the way, how do you feel they went?
The first two games have been very good. We are through to the next round of the League Cup after a positive performance against Queens Park. Coming away from the game with a 6-0 victory was hugely encouraging. Our first league game away to Thistle Weir showed us how tight this league is going to be as they proved to be very tough opponents. Although we came away with a 4-1 victory and the three points we were made to work extremely hard for the victory.
You've previously said you want to challenge at the top end of the table. Do you feel the squad are capable of this?
With the strength and depth we now have in the squad we most certainly have the potential to do so. But we have to realise, having the potential doesn't mean we will. We've still got a lot to work to do and a long way to go before we can think of ourselves as promotion contenders.