I have to be a hit for my Killie-mad missus and dad
ST J’STONE v KILLIE Sammon only has one BOSS to answer to at Rugby Park
KILMARNOCK might not have a permanent manager but Conor Sammon knows he will still have to answer to the Boss if he doesn’t shoot down St Johnstone today.
The big Irishman’s wife is a diehard Killie fan whom he met during his first spell with the club almost a decade ago. Much has changed in the nine years since but some things stay the same.
Like the seats in Rugby Park where his season-ticket-holding missus Caroline and her dad David still sit, in preference to the cushioned posh perches in the main stand favoured by the rest of the WAGs.
So Sammon knows no matter who is in charge – with interim boss Lee McCulloch taking the team for the second time today at McDiarmid Park – he knows the most daunting prospect after a defeat isn’t stepping into the dressing room. It’s crossing the threshold of his front door.
Sammon said: “Caroline didn’t give me any stick in my first spell before I met her but she did put me under pressure when I was signing the second time.
“She told me she was expecting an awful lot from me now I would be playing for her team again. We’ve had a lot of fun with it. It’s all good. We met when I was a Kilmarnock player and we’ve since gone on to have a little girl, Sophia, who will be two in May.
“It’s crazy to think when I met my wife she was sitting in a certain place in Rugby Park and now I look over and my family are in that same spot. If someone was sitting in their seat, I’m sure Caroline would have dragged them out of it!
“These are the seats she had when she was growing up and coming to games with her dad. David has been through lots of ups and downs with the club and he’s enjoying me being back too.
“There has always been that personal relationship with the club. As a player you keep an eye out for previous clubs wherever you go – but I have an extra special bond with Kilmarnock.” That’s why Sammon’s return was a natural decision when he needed an outlet after falling out of the first-team picture at Hearts. A loan deal to the end of the season could yet lead to something more. But the 30-year-old insists his confidence wasn’t damaged by his ill-fated time at Tynecastle, when he became a target for the boo-boys in the Jambos support. Sammon said: “I wasn’t rocked by what happened at Hearts, not at all. I’ve had challenges in my career where things haven’t gone as well on the pitch as I’d have hoped. That frustration can filter into your life off the pitch too. “I look to learn from previous experiences and I see it as a challenge. I want to come through tough scenarios like that and come out the other side. “It’s nothing new to me and I relish the chance of taking on this challenge. “Kilmarnock is the perfect place for me. I’ve really enjoyed coming into work. I have a smile on my face during training and I’m driving away from training with a smile too.
“That’s a basic thing but you don’t always feel like that when things aren’t going right for you. There’s just a real feelgood factor just now and I’m really enjoying it.
“It has been similar to my first. There is a good group of lads here.
“I knew a few of the players from previous clubs. I actually knew Gary Dicker from growing up and playing for the same boys club in Ireland so I know him very well.
“But it’s a good, honest bunch of lads, a mix of experience and young boys looking to build their careers. That filters down from the coaching staff.
“It feels like coming home because I’ve great memories of my first time. It really did give me an opportunity to play and progress my career. There are players now in a similar scenario to how I was back then. They have ambitions to progress.
“Since I’ve come back, I’ve felt right at home. It was really nice to play in front of the crowd at Rugby Park last Sunday, as my first two games were away from home.
“It’s the same old songs too. Nothing has changed, which is funny. The brilliant memories from before have all come back but I am now looking to add new memories.”