Our home form is a disease.. Stevie will find the cure
Worst record in Scotland will not last under gaffer – O’Donnell
KENNY SHIELS lifted the League Cup in 2012 only to be sacked 15 months later on the back of Kilmarnock’s worst season at home in more than 30 years. Allan Johnston, Gary Locke, Lee Clark and Lee McCulloch have since come and gone while the club’s Rugby Park form has barely budged.
But full-back Stephen O’Donnell is convinced Stevie Clarke is the man to lift them off the bottom of the pile for points at home across all of Scotland’s 42 senior clubs.
Killie have picked up just two from a possible 24 this term with Clarke’s only two defeats since taking charge in October at home.
O’Donnell and Co will look to end that rut against his former club Partick Thistle and the 25-yearold said: “We’ve been in winning positions but not held on and that can become like a disease.
“We need to find a cure for that because we’ve been in those winning positions and not been able to see it over the line.
“There have also been some poor performances but the way to cure it is to make sure we’re doing the right things because if we do it will change.
“Against Hibs we did that for long spells and could have drawn or won if we hadn’t lost a couple of slack goals. Then we lost early goals against a top side like Aberdeen, which was criminal.
“However, the way we feel now, if we turn up then we’ll win the game. There’s no getting away from the fact beating Thistle would open up a seven-point gap between us and push us up the table.
“We’re also hoping other teams around us drop points because we’re not interested in looking over our shoulders for the rest of this season.
“Hopefully a win against Thistle will propel us towards or even into the top six. I don’t know what the gaffer’s plans are for the January window but there’s a real chance to kick on now and bring Killie back to where they should be.” Clarke has returned the feelgood factor with nine points from a possible 15 on the road, including draws at Celtic and Rangers.
And the former West Brom boss would love to be the one who fixes their woeful home form.
He said: “That will change, whether it’s this week, next week, next month or in six months’ time.
“Nobody can see into the future but the home results will change at some stage. Hopefully that will happen when I’m at the club, ideally starting this weekend. There’s no rhyme or reason for any run like this.
“The lads have told me there have been games this season where there could have been wins here – the opportunities have been there. In the two matches since I’ve been in charge those chances haven’t really been there.
“The first thing we need to address against Thistle is we don’t concede and from there we give ourselves a platform.”