Kilmarnock

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Kyle Vassell admits he had doubts about taking up the captaincy at Kilmarnock, but says the role has helped him "relax" at Rugby Park.

The 31-year-old is loving life in his second year at the Ayrshire club, having scored 10 goals in all competitions and leading his side to the cusp of European football.

Wearing armband has been "tough" at times, he says, but Derek McInnes has ensured it doesn't weight too heavy on the striker.

"I love playing football here," Vassell told club media. "I like being captain. When he first asked me, I was a bit unsure.

“I’ve had my moments this season where I have thought: 'Oh God, this is a really tough job'. But I am growing into it.

“I still take things on board that maybe I don’t need to, but I feel I do need to because I am captain of the team.

“However it has made me just relax. I can be relaxed on the pitch a bit more and, having done that, I am playing good football again, so I always sing his praises.

“I say how brilliant he is with me and, genuinely, he has been. He has made me such a better player. Coached me how I need to be coached."

We asked you which players with deals expiring in the summer you would like to keep at Kilmarnock.

Here are some of your views:

Colin: A fully-fit Greg Stewart would be an asset. Liam Polworth is worth keeping as he contributes a lot. Innes Cameron has never really looked Premiership level, time to let go. We should work on keeping Stuart Findlay permanently and get Corrie Ndaba and Will Dennis back on loan. If we can, the core squad is very solid and would be great to keep it intact.

Keith: Marley Watkins would be a great player to keep at Rugby Park.

Neil: I would desperately try and retain Will Dennis as he has been a stable and consistent performer in the team, and it's been a while since we've had a regular in that position for more than a season. Watkins is another who I would tie into a deal for next season.

Anon: Polworth deserves a new deal, he's been brilliant this season and goes under the radar. I'd also like Stewart to trigger the extension in his contract and get the hernia operation done before pre-season, he could play a big part next season if fit. Findlay and Ndaba's loans, I imagine, will be looked to be made permanent.

Charlie: Having a good season. Keep Polworth, Findlay, Stewart, Dennis. But a couple are on loan from other clubs, so might be difficult to keep them.

Anon: I would keep Watkins, Polworth, Cameron and Stewart. I would like to see us signing an experienced keeper rather than relying on loans. I think Kerry McInroy, Jack Sanders and Kieran O’Hara will move on and be replaced with permanent signings.

Jim: Big decisions, the players have all contributed to this year's success. A lot hangs on the players who are on loan, and if they come back next year or not. Also some of our players must have popped up on the radar from other clubs, can we hold on to them?

With several players out of contract in the summer, clubs up and down the country are considering who they want to be involved next season.

Derek McInnes has made no secret of his desire to keep Marley Watkins in Ayrshire, while Liam Polworth, Greg Stewart and Innes Cameron's deals are also up.

The other players set to leave Rugby Park are Kerr McInroy, Kieran O'Hara, Steven Warnock and Jack Sanders.

Who are you desperate to keep, and who would you be happy to wave goodbye to?

Let us know.

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Kilmarnock face a third trip to Dundee of the campaign on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season.

Derek McInnes' men will also travel to Rangers and St Mirren as they look to secure European football.

Hearts will look to make it three wins from three at Rugby Park this term, while Celtic aim to avenge their two defeats in Ayrshire in the penultimate league outing.

Kilmarnock's post-split fixtures (All times BST)

• Hearts (H) - Saturday 27 April, 15:00

• Rangers (A) - Sunday 5 May, 13:00

• St Mirren (A) - Saturday 11 May, 15:00

• Celtic (H) - Wednesday 15 May, 19:30

• Dundee (A) - Saturday 18 May, 12:30

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

Perth is always a difficult venue, but once again, Killie were excellent and fully deserving of the three points.

There were excellent individual performances all over the park, though I'd give a special mention to Lewis Mayo who has been top quality all season and was outstanding at the heart of the defence.

We've given lots of praise recently to the team and management but have neglected the most important folk, the fans.

Once again we travelled in great numbers on Saturday and gave superb backing for 90 minutes. I've always argued that Killie are the best in the land when looking at the ratio of away fans compared to the home crowd and I'll stick by that.

The fans fully deserve the chance of a trip to Europe, once again a chance to make unforgettable memories watching Killie.

It's a free weekend coming up so it's the perfect time to send off that passport application if required.

Sandy Armour is the editor of the Killie Hippo fanzine.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

A clean sheet and a goal, not a bad day's work for Joe Wright at the weekend.

The centre-half has spurned a few good chances in recent weeks, so the sense of relief was palpable as he put Kilmarnock into the lead at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.

Switching to a back three seemed to suit the Englishman, who showed the best of his game in a dominant display.

Pat Nevin and Richard Foster join Liam McLeod to pick over the bones of another incredible weekend of Scottish football drama.

They look back on Ross County’s historic victory over Rangers and discuss what impact it could have at both ends of the table.

They also assess the jobs done by Tony Docherty and Nick Montgomery as Dundee secure their place in the top 6 at the expense of Hibs and Motherwell.

Listen to today's episode of the Scottish Football Podcast here.

We asked for your thoughts after Kilmarnock beat St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.

Here's what you had to say:

John: Brilliant result. This was a tricky game on paper, but this team have learned to beat these teams.

Mark: Derek McInnes surely a stick-on now for manager of the year. Fourth place and European football all but secured before a post-split ball has been kicked. An incredible season!

David: A good all-round performance. I thought Liam Donnelly continued his impressive run - a player who was much maligned by the fans has turned the perception of him around.

Killie fans, were you at McDiarmid Park or following the match from home?

Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here.

Derek McInnes tells BBC Scotland: "We had spoken last week prior to the Ross County about the importance of getting six points before the split fixtures. Two tough games against two tough teams fighting to stay in their league, with plenty of motivation themselves. We needed to be ready and had to be more on the game, because there was so much riding on it for St Johnstone.

"I thought we really imposed ourselves on the game. We anticipated St Johnstone going with their diamond, they were really effective with that last time out versus Dundee. As a consequence, we went with an extra midfielder in David Watson over Robbie Deas, and I thought we needed that and that we got a good element of control from that.

"We were a bit disappointed (at half-time) not to have more from what we had created. I thought they were better than us at the start of the second half, which coincided with the worse weather as the wind and rain came in. It was a tough watch for 25 minutes. We gave away too many fouls and did not get to the break of the ball enough.

"Once we got the second goal, it allowed us to enjoy the game. Great support, great numbers up getting behind the team. We all know the importance of getting three points. It does not guarantee us anything but it is a huge step forward in terms of what we want to achieve."

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Cam Wanstall
BBC Sport Scotland

Derek McInnes stated before the game that he had dropped Robbie Deas to change formation in an attempt to counteract St Johnstone's diamond midfield system.

Discarding the tried and trusted 4-4-2 for a tight 3-5-2 worked a treat. Kilmarnock successfully contained the host's midfield as McInnes expertly planned and flourished elsewhere on the park.

Importantly, the players did their job also. Armstrong and Kennedy impressed on the flanks, as Vassell and Watkins caused chaos up top - all while the back three held tight for the full 90.

Either of Kilmarnock's goal-getters could have been named here, but Marley Watkins gets the nod after a thoroughly impressive attacking display which saw the forward create for others and work tirelessly for a goal of his own.

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There is one change and a shift in formation for Kilmarnock as Derek McInnes brings in midfielder David Watson for defender Robbie Deas.

Brad Lyons returns to the bench for the visitors after a spell on the side-lines following a knee operation and could come on to make his first appearance since 30 December, 2023.

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St Johnstone: Mitov, McGowan, Considine, Robinson, Keltjens, M Smith, Phillips, Kucheriavyi, Gallacher, Clark, Sidibeh.

Substitutes: Richards, MacPherson, May, Carey, Crawford, Kimpioka, Franczak, C Smith.

Kilmarnock: Dennis, Mayo, Wright, Findlay, Armstrong, Watson, Donnelly, Polworth, Kennedy, Watkins, Vassell.

Substitutes: O'Hara, Ndaba, Deas, McKenzie, Lyons, Balagizi, Stewart, Mackay-Steven, Van Veen.

St Johnstone captain Liam Gordon remains a major doubt after missing the victory over Hibernian. Drey Wright, Cammy MacPherson and Diallang Jaiyesimi are edging closer to comebacks while Sven Sprangler (knee) remains out.

Brad Lyons is back in the Kilmarnock squad after recovering from a knee operation. Fellow midfielder Kyle Magennis (hamstring) is almost certainly out for the rest of the season while full-back Tom Davies (ankle) should be back for the post-split games.

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Former Kilmarnock goalkeeper Cammy Bell is hopeful that "phenomenal" Rugby Park boss Derek McInnes can convince Marley Watkins to sign a new contract.

Welsh striker has scored 12 times for Kilmarnock this season but his current deal is set to expire at the end of this season.

"That would be a brilliant signing if Derek McInnes can get Marley Watkins to sign again," Bell told the Scottish Football Podcast.

"He's been phenomenal since he's come to the club, Derek McInnes, I can't speak highly enough of him."

"I was at a dinner last weekend, and I was speaking to a few of the guys at Kilmarnock. They were saying that the way that Derek McInnes manages the players, he gives them extra days off to get down to see their families.

"So that just shows you the level of management that Derek McInnes has got with his players. He's so personal with them and he tailors their training to what they need to get the best out of them on a Saturday.

"That relationship between Marley and Derek, hopefully Marley will see it as a positive, and he'll sign another contract because he's been so good for Killie this season and scored important goals.

"With those two up front [Watkins and Kyle Vassell], the defence always know they're in for a real game because they're an absolute handful.

"You've got the two wingers on either side in Danny Armstrong and Matty Kennedy. It's a phenomenal front four, to be honest."

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Why should Scottish football fans care about Czech side Viktoria Plzen drawing with Italian heavyweights Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League?

The result on Thursday night has serious consequences for the Premiership, with the Czech Republic now having leapfrogged Scotland in the coefficient standings.

Not only will the winners of the top flight no longer gain automatic qualification to the Champions League from 2025/26, but there's also a knock on effect for those finishing further down the table.

Here's everything you need to know.

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Brad Lyons is determined to avoid another spell on the sidelines after coming back "stronger and hungrier" following his injury lay-off.

The midfielder missed nearly fourth months with a knee issue that saw Lyons undergo surgery in the longest spell out of his career.

“I don’t think I want to see a Wattbike ever again but big respect to the physios and I have to give a shout out to my girlfriend and Innes Cameron as well, and all the boys – the way they looked after me when it was in a leg brace and stuff it was so good," he said.

“At the start it was about mobility and then it was about getting strength and getting back running, but I feel like I’ve came by fitter and stronger and more hungry because obviously I’ve seen how well the boys have done in previous weeks. So I want to try and get back into that squad, never mind the team.”

“I’ve had a few injuries but this has been the most long-term one. I think it’ll be 15 weeks on Saturday since I have been out.

“I was out for two weeks and then I got an operation and I was in a leg brace for six weeks. So it was tough at times mentally but with all the boys around me it flew in."

Derek McInnes has hailed the mentality in his Kilmarnock squad this season.

The Killie boss believes the togetherness within the group has played a big part in their success so far.

“I am leaving here sometimes at 16:30/17:00 and they are still all in there," McInnes said.

“They have table tennis, card school and a darts board.

“Sometimes you are actually shooing them up the road, to get home.

“All the wives think I am the bad guy because they think we are doing double sessions and gym work.

“I am probably doing the players in here, but the gym work gets finished at 14:30/15:00.

“They are always around each other. A lot of lads live locally, a lot of lads who have come up from down south.

“It is good to see that and it has to be worked at.”

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