Kilmarnock

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

It's been a nervy period for Killie fans as we slipped into the relegation play-off spot but Saturday's win over Dundee United was a huge boost for everyone.

It may well have been one of the poorest games in the league all season but we don't care, it was the result that mattered.

There's no doubt we'll need to play better in the weeks ahead. However, wins breed confidence and with a few injured players returning the future looks just a bit brighter.

Our next game - against St Johnstone - will be massive and a win there would give us some proper breathing space.

I think it's fair to say the transfer window was a bit underwhelming to most fans.

We lost Jack Burroughs and Oli Bainbridge but replaced them with Calvin Ramsay and Tom Wilson-Brown, both loan signings.

That should give us plenty of defensive cover, however we still seem short of numbers up top and our lack of goals is a worry.

It will be good for the squad to get a week's rest and hopefully we have a few faces returning for the Saints game.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo podcast

Image source, Getty Images

Kilmarnock have signed Leicester City centre-back Tom Wilson-Brown on loan until the end of the season.

Derek McInnes had been tight-lipped recently on the prospect of adding to the Rugby Park ranks this window, but they've got another defender in on a short-term basis, joining Calvin Ramsay from Liverpool.

The 20-year-old has made eight appearances this season for Leicester City's Under-21 side.

The Ayrshire club had brought in defenders Jack Burroughs and Oliver Bainbridge on loan in the summer, but both have returned to their parent clubs in recent weeks.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Kieran O'Hara's save to deny Premiership top-scorer Sam Dalby was vital as Kilmarnock kept a clean sheet and earned a hugely valuable three points against Dundee United.

He takes the gloves in my team of the week.

Watch highlights of Kilmarnock's 1-0 win against Dundee Utd in the Scottish Premiership.

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Derek McInnes won't make any promises to Killie fans over deadline day deals but insists he'd like to get something over the line before the window slams shut.

The Kilmarnock boss is missing several key players through injury including Rory McKenzie and Matty Kennedy as well as longer term absentees Robby McCrorie, Kyle Vassell, Stuart Findlay and Innes Cameron.

Brad Lyons, who returned to the starting line-up in Saturday's win over Dundee United, had to be substituted in the first half after a head knock.

"The long and short of it is we're still making calls, knocking on doors to ask questions," McInnes said.

"I'm not expecting us to lose anybody because we're a bit stretched at the minute. I think we have the answers in the building, although we do have some key players missing.

"I wouldn't want to bring someone in just to sit on the bench. We'll try hard to bring somebody in, but we can't make those promises, unfortunately.

"It's a long two weeks if you don't win the game. Hopefully, this little break allows us to get one or two back, and Brad will be fine after his concussion."

We asked for your views on Kilmarnock's 1-0 win against Dundee United.

Here's what some of you said:

Frank: Not a classic game of football, however a welcome three points. Very tight league positions this season looks like six teams could be chasing a top six spot.

Kenny: Great to see Joe Wright back to his best. We're so much more comfortable with a back four, I wish Derek McInnes would stick with it. Good three points against a good team.

Robert: Massive three points. We've played better and lost this season but I'll take a scrappy win anytime. Wright and Lewis Mayo were immense at the back and generally what we lack in quality we make up for in effort and attitude. Both teams used long throws into the box incessantly which doesn't help the spectacle or the pace of the game.

Jim: The result is what counts today, not the performance. Some players stood up and were counted, although some others still made the same mistakes as before. All in all, they all gave their best and "dug in". Again it's the result, not the performance and this should settle the obvious nerves some players showed.

James: Not the greatest game you'll ever see but a win's a win. We dealt well with their forwards and set pieces. It was always going to be a scrappy goal but it's a bit rich of Jim Goodwin to complain about the goal given the goals they got on their last visit. I've seen plenty of really good games at Rugby Park.

Neil: Dundee United were poor and Killie were poor. I'll take the result but it only papers over the cracks that we are simply not good enough, poor first touches, unable to control the ball, punts up the park, and a team who have become shot shy. A vast improvement is needed from the team who play, and stop using the injured players as an excuse.

Image source, SNS

• Will Ferry created five chances, his highest total in a single match in the Premiership.

• Kilmarnock have a record of W4, D0, L2 when scoring the opening goal in the Premiership this season.

• Dundee United have a record of W2, D1, L6 when conceding the opening goal in the Premiership this season.

• Marley Watkins has scored his fourth goal in the Premiership this season, netting for the first time since 20 October 2024 against Rangers.

Did you take in Kilmarnock's narrow win against Dundee United or were you following from home?

Have your say on the match, external

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: "It's a mistake, maybe, from the goalkeeper. Marley uses his experience and just becomes a nuisance and gets the goal.

"Dundee United were better than us first half. Sometimes, you've just got to persevere and stay in the game. The one thing we did stand up to today is Dundee United's long throws and set plays. They're a huge team, they've got real weapons with that ball going in your box all the time. So, we had to defend that.

"We've played better in recent weeks and even this season and not won games. It's great we get our clean sheet. The win, the three points is terrific for us."

Image source, SNS

Andy Campbell
BBC Scotland

After last season's top-six finish, Kilmarnock appeared to be in a fairly lowly position in 11th prior to this.

But a closer look at the points gap showed it would only take one positive result to alter that picture.

And so it proved, with Derek McInnes' side overtaking Ross County and Dundee and gaining ground on St Mirren.

Kilmarnock were similarly stout to Dundee United, recognising their visitors' prowess at set plays and deliveries in towards the predatory Sam Dalby.

After three narrow defeats in all competitions last month, the Marley Watkins goal meant February opened with a welcome change of fortune for McInnes' men and a repetition of last season's top-six finish is very much on.

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Kilmarnock goalkeeper Kieran O'Hara's second-half save to deny Sam Dalby kept the score goalless before Marley Watkins netted the hosts' winner. It was a fine block on to the crossbar by O'Hara.

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

Brad Lyons is back for Kilmarnock but Rory McKenzie is touch and go and Matty Kennedy is not quite ready to return from a back injury.

Robby McCrorie (broken cheekbone), Kyle Vassell, Stuart Findlay (both ankle) and Innes Cameron (hamstring) remain out.

Dundee United could hand a debut to Allan Campbell and remain without Craig Sibbald (groin).

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes says his side must start winning games now if they are to earn a top-six Scottish Premiership finish this season.

Last week's 3-2 defeat by Hearts means Killie sit second bottom, but just five points separate them and Hibs in sixth before they host Dundee United on Saturday.

The Rugby Park club finished fourth last season, with an impressive run of form before the split taking them into the top half, and McInnes is targeting a similar run.

"It feels as if there's a lot on the game and there is, with nine games to go before the split," he said. "There's a realisation that if we are going to be a top-six team we really need to get going with that.

"The time for finding our best form, digging deep, not feeling sorry for ourselves about injuries and decisions and really just to crack on and get results.

"We are only two wins shy of where we were last season and at this stage we went on a brilliant run and accumulated 18 points from the last nine games.

"We feel we have to do something similar – 15-16 points from the last nine games will give us a chance of the top six.

"It's important we maximise everything we have got and get the home support right behind the team. Rugby Park is pretty special when the team feed off the fans."

Image source, SNS

• Kilmarnock are unbeaten in four Scottish Premiership matches against Dundee United (W2 D2), their longest undefeated run over the Tangerines in the top flight since a streak of six games from March 2005 to August 2006.

• Dundee United have only won one of their past 10 Scottish Premiership games away at Kilmarnock (D4 L5), and are winless in six (D3 L3) since a 4-2 victory in May 2016.

• Kilmarnock have conceded just one goal in total in their past five home league games combined (W3 D1 L1), although have failed to score in their past two at Rugby Park. Not since May 2017 have they gone three straight home games within a single season without a goal in the Scottish Premiership.

• Dundee United have lost three of their past four league games (W1), as many as their previous 15 beforehand (W7 D5 L3).

• Kilmarnock have drawn their past six Scottish Premiership games against newly-promoted opponents, with their last such win being against Dundee United in April 2021 (3-0). Killie are unbeaten in 10 home games against promoted sides in the competition (W5 D5) since a 3-0 loss to Hibernian in October 2017.

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

Derek McInnes insists it is "vitally important" Kilmarnock bring in reinforcements before the end of the January window.

Matty Kennedy, Rory McKenzie, Kyle Vassell, Innes Cameron, Stuart Findlay and Robby McCrorie are all unavailable for the Ayrshire club through injury.

McInnes is hopeful Brad Lyons - who picked up a hamstring injury in the Scottish Cup tie against Celtic - will be fit enough for the weekend visit of Dundee United.

The Rugby Park club have signed Scotland defender Calvin Ramsay on loan from Liverpool to strengthen their backline, but McInnes is seeking more new faces prior to the deadline on Monday (23:00 GMT).

"With the injuries we've had it's vitally important we try and do something if we can," the boss said.

"If everybody was fit I wouldn't be looking to do much at all, I feel as though we've got real strength in the squad but the window gives us potentially the ability to maybe act on the injuries we've got.

"There's no point in bringing somebody in just to be a number, we'd like to get somebody in who's going to help us.

"If we get the treatment room cleared everything will seem a bit rosier.

"If we do have the opportunity to bring someone, the board have always been really supportive of that and we can always ask the question."

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media as his side prepare to host Dundee United on Saturday.

Here are the main points:

• The Killie boss admits the injury list makes it "vitally important" the club try to do some transfer business before Monday's deadline but stresses "once the treatment room is cleared everything will seem a bit rosier".

• He says the whole team are "disappointed" with the defeat to Hearts last weekend, particularly given there were "encouraging" aspects to the performance.

• The Killie manager expresses his annoyance at VAR - "at this stage it should be far slicker" - after saying head of refereeing Willie Collum confirmed Hearts' first goal should have been disallowed.

• McInnes insists there's a lot riding on Saturday's match with just nine games to go before the split: "There's a realisation that if we're going to be a top-six team we really have to get going with it."

• On the challenge of United, McInnes says "I wish I could forget" the last game between the sides at Rugby Park when Killie conceded a 99th-minute penalty to draw 3-3.

• He hopes to have Brad Lyons back from injury this weekend but Rory McKenzie is still touch and go. Matty Kennedy's recovery is "taking a wee bit longer" than hoped and Robby McCrorie has undergone successful surgery after fracturing a cheekbone.

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

Four wins in 15 league games, second bottom of the Scottish Premiership, and looking bereft of confidence - are Kilmarnock heading towards a relegation battle?

While a single issue can't tell the whole story of why a team may look out of sorts, Killie's ongoing underperformance in front of goal is crossing the line from a bad run to worryingly poor.

Early-season European football inevitably disrupted a squad unaccustomed to it, but they have failed to rediscover the dynamism of last season.

Since the end of October, Kilmarnock have recorded the worst xG underperformance (-3.81), the second-lowest shot conversion rate (7.9%), and the third-lowest big chance conversion rate (41.4%) in the Premiership, all despite ranking third for shots (202) and fourth for shots on target (67).

So, with under a week to go in the transfer window, does Derek McInnes need to bolster his attacking options?

Young Bobby Wales is doing a valiant job in his first sustained run in the side, but relying on a 19-year-old to pull the team out of a relegation scrap is neither ideal nor fair on the player.

Bruce Anderson's eight-goal haul in the top flight is impressive too, but McInnes seems reluctant to give him a consistent run up top, often favouring Kyle Vassell with Marley Watkins when both are fit.

The dip in form from the likely-to-depart Danny Armstrong hasn't helped Killie either. The winger was the main catalyst for the European-clinching campaign last season but he is now routinely consigned to the bench and brought on for cameos, while Matty Kennedy's injury has deprived the Rugby Park side of their most influential player from the early months of the season.

On the potential for any late-window moves, McInnes said last week: "Finances are tight and it's not easy to get things done. If everybody's fit, we probably wouldn't be looking to do anything.

"We are trying to deal with a situation with quite a lot of key players out and unavailable. So I think it's my job to continue to look. Whether we can get anything into the building remains to be seen."

Killie, like most clubs, are used to leaving it late, particularly in the tricky January window.

But it may be worth pushing the boat out now to bolster their attacking threats - or risk returning to the relegation play-off for the first time since 2021.

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

Killie slipped into the relegation play-off spot with an error-strewn defeat at Tynecastle, not a happy hunting ground on this occasion.

Our Achilles heel all season has been our propensity for conceding soft goals and that was abundantly in evidence on Saturday.

Sadly it has been happening since August and the sooner we stop blaming VAR and take responsibility for our own shortcomings the sooner we might just climb the table.

On a positive note it was great to see Bobby Wales on the scoresheet again following on from Parkhead the previous week.

Along with David Watson he should be starting every week as we need their youthful enthusiasm, allied to their undoubted ability, to drag us out of this mess.

The table is still tight and can change very quickly but it's time to dump the excuses and do our talking on the park.

We have two massive home games now, starting with Dundee United in a televised match on Saturday.

Six points from these two matches could change the whole complexion of the season, however no points could see me increasingly worried.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

Watch Sportscene analysis of Kilmarnock's 3-2 defeat against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

Watch highlights of Hearts' 3-2 win against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Kilmarnock's 3-2 defeat against Hearts.

Here's what some of you said:

Anon: I'm in panic mode. Too many parallels with the season we went down. Two unreliable keepers, a real vulnerability at the back and a blind spot towards out of form players. We're in the mix with St Johnstone and Ross County - both beat us home and away this year. Worrying.

Stephen: Derek McInnes has become very adept at talking up a defeat, but the results speak for themselves. Worryingly, we are losing to teams round about us, teams that strengthened in the summer or January windows where we have stood still. At the moment we're heading for the dreaded play-off, potentially against our county rivals. Losing that would be Armageddon.

John: Killie were poor, poor goals to lose. Kieran O'Hara back making mistakes he is bad for that but pulls off the odd great save. We should try to get David Washington on loan from Chelsea.

Robert: Our defence has gifted goals all season, once is a mistake, twice is unfortunate, but more than two is downright incompetence and needs addressed, both in the transfer market and McInnes giving them a rocket and fining them. Why wasn't Bruce Anderson on before 87 minutes?

Ant: Sick of McInnes. We were chasing the game and he takes Liam Polworth and Kyle Magennis off, arguably our two most forward thinking midfielders. Table is tight but I have no belief in us getting results right now. McInnes tombola every week, with an ever-changing lineup isn't helping, no consistency or fluidity. Another manager could get a better tune from us.

Jim: As has been said before Killie are now in a relegation battle with St Johnstone. We are not safe as St Johnstone have already beat us at Rugby Park. Marley Watkins will not score for us. We need to play the young boys and get rid of the deadwood now!

Image source, SNS

• Kilmarnock have failed to win in their last three games in the Premiership, their last longer winless streak was from 3 November 2024 to 7 December 2024, a run of six games.

• Hearts are undefeated in their last five games in the Premiership, their last longer unbeaten streak was from 16 December 2023 to 17 February 2024, a run of 10 games.

• Hearts have beaten Kilmarnock for the first time in the Premiership since 2 December 2023, a run of four games without a win.

• James Penrice has assisted three goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), no Hearts player has more.

• Daniel Armstrong has assisted four goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), more than any other Kilmarnock player.