UP FOR THE PUP
Kyle: Gaffer WILL give me bulldog – if I call it Wrighty
TOMMY WRIGHT saw Kyle Lafferty put the bite on Stenny – then joked he wouldn’t trust him with one of his bulldogs.
The Kilmarnock hat-trick hero insisted his gaffer promised him a pup if the Ayrshire side avoid relegation – but only if he calls it Wrighty.
Former Rangers and Hearts ace Laff took his goals tally to six since arriving in February with this treble before sub George Oakley sealed a comfortable victory.
The Northern Ireland star has a reputation as being the joker in the dressing room but there is nothing funny about Killie’s Premiership predicament.
However, if he keeps up this form he could fire Wright’s side to safety – although it remains to be seen whether his gaffer has sold him a pup over his bulldog incentive.
Lafferty is only on a shortterm deal and he said: “I am here until the end of the season and hopefully the club will still be in the Premiership then. I think we will be.
“We will speak about it (a contract) after that, but the manager has promised he’ll buy me a bulldog if we stay up ... as long as I call it Wrighty!”
On his scoring exploits for the Rugby Park side, Laff added: “My last hat-trick was actually for Rangers against Kilmarnock.
“It was 10 years ago so it’s nice to get another hat-trick.
“It could have been a dodgy game for us but we were professional.
“We made sure we put it in the right performance and left with a win that keeps the momentum going.
“I have come here to save the team, hopefully that’s what I can do.
“When I came in people said that we had enough on the squad but there was something missing, now though it seems to be gelling.
“I think we realised that we are in a relegation battle and no one wants to be part of the team that gets a club relegated after so long in the league.
“I can score as many goals as I like, but if we don’t stay up at the end of the season then it’s pointless. ”
Second bottom Killie host fellow strugglers Ross County on Saturday to kickoff the crucial final five game run in.
County are a point better off than Killie and with only two points between the bottom three teams it looks like being a tense finale.
But Lafferty is confident that Killie will hold their nerve. He said: “We look forward to a massive game against Ross County now.
“If we play the way we have been then it will be an interesting game and I am sure we can win it.
“Nothing has changed since Tommy Wright’s first game in terms of performances.
“The quality has always been there, but I think we are finding our feet at the right time now.
“It was always going to be a huge battle, we had to start winning games, so the Motherwell league game and this Cup game were important wins.
“It has been a long time since we won two games in a row, we are picking up momentum and that’s happening at the right time.
“We will go into the Ross County game in a professional manner and we will attack it like we did against Motherwell.”