Kilmarnock

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell has been talking to the media before the Scottish Premiership opener at home to promoted Livingston on Saturday.

Here are the key points:

• After topping their League Cup group, Kettlewell insists the next short-term target is to simply "get three points on the board" as early as possible but to keep a "consistent mindset" and "believe in what we are trying to do".

• He was reluctant to outline specific targets for the season publicly but did say "we have lofty ambitions of where we want to be" and that "goals that we all set will be difficult to obtain, but we also think achievable".

• The former Motherwell and Ross County boss insists success will be determined in three ways - "your league position, a cup run and the potential of selling a player".

• Killie had the poorest away record in the top flight last season and Kettlewell wants a better balance of results at home and on road - a "split of points as close to 50-50 as you possibly can" - adding that achieving this will make his side "competitive every week".

• He expects a different kind of challenge in the Premiership given recruitment at other clubs, with less physicality and different ideas.

• On recruitment, Kettlewell admits the departure of Corrie Ndaba does leave the squad short but an "offer was made that the club couldn't refuse" by Italian side Lecce.

• Jack Thomson is back in training but there are a couple of players with knocks that potentially may be missing this weekend.

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

Where will you finish in the league and why?

Welcome all Killie fans to another season of ecstatic highs, depressing lows and everything in between. With all the changes since last season both in management and personnel I have lowered my expectations for the new campaign.

There appears to have been a reduction in budget so I see this as a season of stabilisation and safety is always the priority.

However, there are fine margins between many teams so who knows how high we can climb.

Who is the best signing or has he not signed yet and who should it be?

It may take a while for the new signings to settle in but I'm encouraged by what I've seen so far. We didn't concede a goal during the League Cup group stages and a lot of credit has to go to new keeper Max Stryjek.

We have suffered in previous seasons with below-par goalies, however I fancy the big man will prove to be our most important signing.

What do you want from your manager this season?

The early signs have been encouraging and although the arrival of Stuart Kettlewell wasn't universally popular it seems the fanbase are warming to his style of play.

The manager also appears keen to give youth a chance so if he can steady this ship for a season the future may yet be bright.

Who will be the breakout star in your squad?

One glaring reason for optimism is the emergence of young Ben Brannan, who looks like a proper star of the future. He could be a real asset for Killie and priority has to be to get him tied up on a long-term deal.

What is your one major concern?

It's hard to judge how the season is going to pan out until the league action starts so there is a worry that too many changes all at once could see us take a while to find our best personnel and formation.

Hopefully we find our feet quickly and Killie fans can look forward to lots of entertaining football, unlike previous years.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

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Stuart Kettlewell aims to develop a "conveyor belt" of talent at Kilmarnock after Corrie Ndaba's departure to Serie A side Lecce for a "significant" fee.

The 25-year-old left-back signed a three-year deal at Rugby Park last summer after impressing on loan but manager Kettlewell says the plan for Ndaba was always to move on.

"We definitely have to look to bring in another one or two just to gain that balance to our squad," he told Sky Sports.

"With regards to Corrie, I only worked with him for a short period of time but he's a lad I really like as a person first and foremost and a really talented player. A big part of why you come here is you know we are a selling club. There's no hiding from that.

"We always want to get the best value for players but it's been a huge part of my remit in my previous two clubs as a manager and it'll be a part of what we want to do here.

"We want to develop players, ideally our own, but you know in somebody like Ndaba there's been a plan there that he comes here, he does well and the potential of that sell on and what people need to realise is that sale was significant.

"The number and the price towards the football club is significant. I've never been a doom and gloom guy with those types of scenarios. Of course you want to work with the best players but we need to try and create that conveyor belt.

"If we lose any players for significant value for the football club then we have to ensure that we try and replace them and we try and go through that process again and again and again and there's been a lot of positives in terms of players showing up well so far for us. We look to continue now."

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Kilmarnock youngster Grant Marchant has joined Albion Rovers on loan as part of a co-operation agreement.

The midfielder heads to Cliftonhill as part of the agreement which aims to give more opportunities to young Scottish players, allowing them to move freely between both clubs throughout the season.

Fellow teenager Samuel Duruh joins Coatbridge on a temporary deal for the upcoming season out with the co-operation agreement.

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Kilmarnock will host Dundee United in an all top-flight match in the second round of the League Cup.

As a European participant, Dunee United enter the competition at this stage, while Killie topped their group under new manager Stuart Kettlewell.

Ties are due to be played on the weekend of 16th/17th August.

We asked for your views on Killie's win over East Fife and topping their League Cup group.

Here is what some of you said:

Andy: Big improvement from Tuesday night in Kelty. Think the team is now coming together. Great seeing our two new strikers scoring and some excellent football on display

Gerry: Even allowing for the opposition today, the standard of football on show from Killie today was refreshing and better than last season's hoof ball. The performance from two of our homegrown players, David Watson and Ben Brannan, was a joy to watch.

James: A comfortable win. For once, we managed to score early, and that seemed to settle the team while taking the heart out of the visitors. Excellent performances from Watson, Jamie Brandon and especially Brannan. He's going to be a player. Liam Polworth was excellent in the first half but not so good in the second when some slack passes allowed East Fife in on our goal. The main thing is that we're through to the second round.

Scott: Good to see us being clinical in front of goal after our struggles against Kelty. Hopefully, Brannan's injury isn't too serious. The boy has serious ability and can be a huge player for us this season. Really impressed by Brandon as well, but we need more squad depth in central defence and on the left side. I was underwhelmed by Stuart Kettlewell's appointment, but I've seen enough to suggest we'll be ok.

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Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell says his side are still a "work in progress" despite topping their League Cup group.

Attacking duo Marcus Dackers and Djenairo Daniels both scored, with teenager Ben Brannan bagging a brace against East Fife as they settled any lingering nerves from midweek.

After a goalless draw midweek with Kelty Hearts, and missing out on the bonus point as they lost the penalty shootout, some of the Rugby Park faithful may have remained sceptical of the side's pre-season preparations.

"By and large, I was [pleased]," he told BBC Scotland.

"I thought we started pretty well, obviously a wee bit more ruthless than we were the other night.

"We hit the back of the net a couple of times early in the game, and it starts to settle you down.

"My one wee frustration was there was a bit of slackness about us in the last 15 or so minutes. It's just to try to sustain the levels we've found throughout the game, but it's a work in progress, and we'll try to make that better."

18-year-old Ben Brannan, who scored on either side of the interval, was impressive throughout the game, and many Killie fans are hopeful he will play a part in the Premiership this season.

"I hope so," Kettlewell added on if Brannan can make an impact this season.

"I will give young players an opportunity if they show the qualities to play at this level. Quite clearly, we see Ben has bags of potential.

"What's been great for him in that position he's been playing is he's been able to come off the left hand side and finish but his more natural side is on the right."

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Kilmarnock have accepted an offer from Lecce for defender Corrie Ndaba, 25. (Football Insider), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Stephen Frail would rather have a dead rubber than qualification on the line in Kilmarnock's final game of the Premier Sports Cup stage stage.

The Rugby Park side top Group H but are just a point clear of Saturday's visitors East Fife and fellow Premiership side Livingston, who host Kelty Hearts.

Killie could only draw 0-0 at Kelty in midweek before missing out on a bonus point with defeat on penalties.

"It's all good having a competitive edge but if I'm being honest we'd rather have a dead rubber," said assistant manager Frail.

"It has got that edge, East Fife are in this mini table because they've got results.

"We know how tough the game will be, me and the manager watched them last week against Kelty and they got the 1-0 win.

"We didn't beat Kelty, so we know they've got qualities, an experienced manager and management team.

"We know the threat they will pose coming in and they will be definitely hoping to win, to progress if other results go their way, so we need to make sure that doesn't happen."

We asked for your views on Kilmarnock's penalty shootout defeat to League 1 Kelty Hearts in the Premier Sports Cup.

Here's what some of you said:

Gazza: Killie just couldn't break down a stubborn Kelty defence. However, some bizarre refereeing decisions may have played their part. Penalty shootouts and Killie tend not to go in our favour. We will need to start taking our chances.

Amy: We need a proper striker in pronto. Bruce Anderson keeps missing sitters and Marley Watkins looks uninterested. New boys need to settle in but none look like 10/15 goal strikers. Go and get Theo Bair on loan and give us a focal point. At least Tom Lowery is a baller.

Kenneth: A disappointing game. Kilmarnock struggled to make a real impact. Kelty, as expected, parked the bus but it's surprising that Killie couldn't find something to break their defence!

William: How much longer do they require to "hone their skills" and "blend as a team"? It's still fundamentally the corpse left from last season.

George: Disappointed, obviously, and the team must be concerned about goalscoring. Regardless of who is called a 'striker' in the team, it's everyone's responsibility to be able to score goals and get forward not always be thinking; 'I'm out of position'. A good team works hard for each other and is able to read gameplay.

Brian: Our defence seems to be taking shape nicely, especially the goalkeeper position. Midfield is gelling nicely with plenty of options. Up front is not fully coordinated. Generally promising.

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Kilmarnock must be more "threatening" in front of goal against East Fife if they are to progress in the Premier Sports Cup insists Stuart Kettlewell.

Killie recorded their third clean sheet of the group stage in their goalless draw with Kelty Hearts, but are now just one point ahead of both the Fifers and Livingston in Group H before Saturday's deciding games.

Kettlewell's side will progress if they win at home against the League 1 outfit, but he knows they will need to improve their attacking play against Dick Campbell's side.

"We have to be more threatening and we have to be able to go and express ourselves a wee bit more with some more composure to make sure we capitalise on opportunities," he told Killie TV.

"If we think it's going to be any different – people not throwing their body on the line and defending their penalty box like Kelty Hearts did – then we are seriously mistaken.

"It will be a difficult enough game for us and we will have to play with some real tempo to be able play through them and carve out opportunities.

"What we will do between now and then is understand why we didn't execute it better and why we didn't finish.

"Sometimes that's the last thing to come in pre-season so I don't become ultra negative, but the demands are there that we become more threatening in front of goal."

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Kilmarnock have entered into a cooperation agreement with Queen of the South.

As part of the partnership, 16-year-old midfielder Cole Burke, son of former Rangers and Kilmarnock winger Chris, will join the Palmerston side on a flexible loan.

The agreement comes following the introduction of a Scottish FA initiative, which is aiming to improve the development of young domestic talent.

Earlier this month, Kilmarnock announced a similar player development partnership with fourth-tier Annan Athletic.

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Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell says his side must improve despite securing a narrow League Cup win over Livingston on Wednesday.

An own-goal from Mo Sylla on 31 minutes was the difference between the teams, but Livingston could have taken something back to West Lothian were it not for several outstanding saves from Killie goalkeeper Max Stryjek.

Kettlewell has now won both of his competitive outings as Kilmarnock boss, but he said they conceded too many chances and were "slack" in possession.

"That's what we came here for," Kettlewell told BBC Scotland. "We're trying to top the group.

"It's about us trying to become better and I think we can play a lot better. We gave up too many opportunities and at times we were very slack on the ball.

"We had our goalie to thank with one or two stops and we need to test them a wee bit more. That all sounds negative - I'm delighted with the win and another clean sheet."

Killie captain Brad Lyons came off with an injury in the second half, but Kettlewell downplayed any fears over the Northern Irishman's fitness.

"I'm hoping it's nothing too serious. He definitely tightened up."

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Jamie Brandon is prepared for a tough test in "quite a quick turnaround" as he prepares to face his old club when Kilmarnock welcome Livingston to Rugby Park on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old left the West Lothian side after captaining the team to top-flight promotion last term.

Now the right-back is preparing for a "strange" fixture against his old club in the Scottish League Cup group stage.

"It will be enjoyable obviously. I know everyone there very well and know how they like to work," said Brandon.

"It will be a tough test and they're a competitive team so it's one I'm looking forward to. With the draw and then the first league game as well - nice and quick playing against them.

"I do find it a little bit strange. Obviously I was there for three years and I only just left not long ago and you're back playing against them.

"So it's quite a quick turnaround but it's one I'm looking forward to and I want to showcase what us at Kilmarnock can do against them."

The defender became Stuart Kettlewell's first signing after three seasons at Livingston.

Brandon reflected on his time with his former team but insists he is hopeful for more success at his new club.

"It was a time I really enjoyed and I think particularly last season, it was a successful year and probably where I played my best football in my career, so I look back with fond memories," he added.

Meanwhile, Kilmarnock have announced a co-operation agreement with Annan Athletic.

Zander Craik, Josh Gilmour and Duncan Barlow will head to Galabank as part of the agreement, which focuses on boosting opportunities for young Scottish players.

The Rugby Park club say "this is a flexible loan agreement that allows players to move between the sides" during the campaign.

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We asked you for your views as Kilmarnock kicked off the Kettlewell era with victory over Brora Rangers.

Here's what some of you said:

Gordon: A very good, competitive game really enjoyed it.

Not as easy as I thought it would be but the three points are the most important thing.

Well done Killie and Kettlewell. Bring on Livingston on Wednesday hopefully another three points.

Amy: A long day but an enjoyable one. Young Ben Brannan reminds me of Aaron Hickey - can play RWB or LWB, is comfortable coming inside and taking men on and has a great engine. Hope to see more of him this season.

George: Solid start, keep on improving the team's shape and tactics will come together. Good solid signings. Come on the Killie.

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Stuart Kettlewell says he has "high hopes" for "eye-catching" Ben Brannan after the teenager scored on his Kilmarnock debut against Brora Rangers on Saturday.

The 18-year-old midfielder, who came through the Rugby Park academy, netted the first goal of the Kettlewell era at Killie in the Premier Sports Cup.

"I don't often pick people out but I thought he (Brannan) was probably our most eye-catching player throughout the day," he told club media. "Really good.

"He's a lad that I knew of because an obsession of trying to get to know football players, not just at one club but around the country.

"So he's one that we've got high hopes for and quite clearly, like us all, we all need to improve, we all need to get better.

"But we changed him, we moved him to that right-hand side, he comes in from the left and covered the back area really well with a composed finish.

"But just trying to encourage him to give us a bit more because we believe in his talent and what he can bring to the party.

"We don't want him to wait five or 10 minutes to get going in the game. We want him to stamp up on it as quick he possible can."

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Brad Lyons was the "natural choice" for Killie captain says manager Stuart Kettlewell.

The 28-year-old has been at Rugby Park since 2021 and signed an extension in April 2024, committing him to the side until 2026.

Kettlewell, who replaced Derek McInnes as manager this summer, has chosen centre-back Robbie Deas to deputise the midfielder.

"It was a difficult decision in many ways because we've got so many good players here," Kettlewell told club media, external.

"Just in terms of their character and their nature, they're a really good bunch of boys. That's the first thing that I caught a glimpse of when I came in.

"Brad is somebody that has worn the armband before, he's got great experience at international level and also in the Premiership. He's a brilliant type, seems to be available for training sessions, for games, so that was the natural choice.

"Robbie comes in and we believe he's somebody who can back Brad up, another good player, again somebody who is available. But we'll look for loads of leadership. the likes of David Watson, Rory McKenzie, there's so many boys in there that will support these guys.

"The decision has been met with full respect as you would imagine."