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."