We’ll leave minnows in our wake
Kiltie: Early start won’t faze fired-up Killie
GREG KILTIE insists Kilmarnock will be wide awake and ready to be morning marvels against Montrose.
Tommy Wright’s team get today’s ties started with an 11.45am kick-off against the League One side. The playmaker can’t recall having to prepare for a pre-noon shoot-out. But he’s desperate to get going and hopes for a first start in over a month after suffering shoulder damage. Kiltie, who returned off the bench for last week’s draw with Ross County, said: “Seeing the boys do so well has been so positive but you always be part of it and on the pitch. “I don’t think I’ve ever kicked off at 11.45am. I wouldn’t say it has altered preparation too much. Maybe just Friday we won’t do as much with not as long a period between training and kick-off but nothing too much. “It’s just about getting into the next round and being ruthless. You always want to get off to a quick start in any game and we’ll aim to do that. “It’s a cup game. Anything can happen and I’m sure Montrose will come with that sort of attitude so we have to be professional about it. “The league is the main objective and getting out of the position we are in. But you can put a cup run together and we hope to kick on. “It’s always brilliant as a club to go on a run. There are massive league games around it but it’d be nice. “For a club like ours, winning a cup is massive. Any team outside of the Old Firm winning a trophy makes for a good season. We’d love to do it for the fans but we’ll do it one game at a time and try to be professional.”
Montrose headed for Rugby Park just hours after being hammered by Partick Thistle at Firhill on Thursday night.
It’s a gruelling schedule but Killie boss Wright said: “We were given options and we put it to Montrose and the clubs agreed on the timings.
“I have sympathy for any club who has to play Thursday/Saturday. We’ve had to do it in the cup before, playing Saturday and Monday. It’s compounded with part-time players but it wasn’t forced upon them. Montrose agreed it.
“We’ve got to be ruthless on the pitch and that’s what we’ve done in recent weeks in scoring a lot more goals.
“We were excellent at Stenny in terms of our professionalism and I’ve reminded the players not to expect Montrose to come here and lie down just because they lost 5-0 on Thursday night. They’ve had a wee blip but they have good players and have had a good season.
“We’ll need to be patient, impose ourselves on them and the game but be mindful too. We’ve built a wee bit of momentum going three games unbeaten.
“Hopefully we can get ourselves out of trouble and next thing maybe we could be in the quarter-finals and semifinals of the Scottish Cup. From being what’s regarded as a poor season so far would become an incredible season.”