OVERVIEW
STAR MAN: RESULTS FINISHED: P W D L TOP SCORER: VERDICT
GARRY HAY believes Kilmarnock have laid the foundations to kick on after a satisfactory campaign.
The Rugby Park outfit just missed out on the top six and were comfortable survivors in the top flight having diced with danger in the play-off last term.
Lee Clark had the squad moving in the right direction and, despite his switch to Bury mid-season, interim boss Lee McCulloch kept up the fine work to ensure there would be no survival scares with plenty of youngsters in the set-up.
Former skipper Hay said: “Overall there has been progression. I accept the tightness of the league can make finishing positions not so crucial in one sense but Killie have gone from 11th and the play-off to a comfortable eighth this season.
“Given there was a change of manager it is encouraging that things are going the right way and the blocks are in place to build again.
“The biggest positive is the amount of young players who have shown up.
“At the start of the season Clark took in a lot of players from down south. Plenty of them were not up to it.
“He realised that quickly and soon it was the young boys from Kilmarnock who were getting opportunities.
“Adam Frizzell, Dean Hawkshaw, Iain Wilson in midfield. These boys have come through and it’s great.
“Add that to the ones coming behind them and the ones already there like Greg Kiltie and Greg Taylor, the vibes are so positive. McCulloch has carried that on and it is cracking to see.”
8th 14 15 Souleymane Coulibaly, 11 38 9