What a racket over Wimbers exit
Mitch proves Killie doubters wrong
MITCH PINNOCK’S mates reckoned he was taking a step backwards moving to Kilmarnock from AFC Wimbledon in the summer.
But it hasn’t taken the winger long to realise the reputation Scottish football still has in some quarters down south is totally wrong.
The fact that Pinnock hasn’t been able to force himself into the Killie line-up too often is testament to the quality boss Alex Dyer has at his disposal.
But the 25-year-old is hoping his first goal for the Ayrshire outfit, against Dumbarton in the Betfred Cup last week, will be enough to keep his place against Ross County today.
Pinnock said: “Before I came up people would say: ‘I don’t know why you’re doing that?’ but I’m pleased that I did do it.
“I was surprised at the standard. The quality is good and I’ ll get better playing against the better teams. I’m enjoying the challenge.
“It’s different from what I expected. The quality is a lot better than where I was last season. It’s more physical but I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
So much so that Pinnock would love to extend his stay beyond his year’s deal. He explained: “I’m here until the end of the season. I didn’t know what to expect so I didn’t want to tie myself into a contract where if it didn’t work out or I didn’t like it then I had to stay there. “I’ve always played for teams where I have stayed at home and been local s o coming away and living on my own is something that I’ve enjoyed as well.
“Brandon Haunstrup and Gary Dicker stay next to me and Nicke Kabamba and Jake Eastwood are nearby as well.
“Definitely I would stay here. I’ve enjoyed it so far and think it’s only going to get better.”
Having missed most of preseason as he weighed up options after leaving Wimbledon, Pinnock believes he is only now approaching full fitness and he’s determined to show Dyer that he deserves a jersey.
He added: “I feel like I did well in the cup games, and I was happy to score, so hopefully the manager can see what I’ve done in those games.
“He’s always saying if you are doing better than the person who is in your position, you’ll get an opportunity.
“I missed most of pre-season and in my first couple of games I felt I wasn’t really at my best so I came out of the team.
“I wasn’t really at it but now I’ve got my fitness up and playing those two games has got my confidence up so hopefully I can continue to get in the team and stay in it.”
And Pinnock is looking for a win over County to cement Killie’s place in the top half of the table.
He added: “It’s quite tight where we are down to about ninth. So hopefully we can go on another good run and look up the table. “Everyone is confident we can climb the table into fourth spot. Top six is the ambition but on our day we can beat anyone really so we’ve got to aim higher.”