Pinnock feeling the love at last under Wright

IT was during those final days of Alex Dyer’s ill-fated Kilmarnock reign when one or two disconcerting voices shared their ire at the sight of Mitch Pinnock’s name in the starting XI. Fast forward two months, throw in new manager Tommy Wright, the arrival of Kyle Lafferty, and a couple of goals and the Englishman is now playing a key role in Killie’s revival.

His is a game transformed and a nonchalant turn away from two Ross County players will have gone some way to converting a few Doubting Thomases on Saturday.

“Since the new manager has come in, he’s played me a lot and I feel my fitness is up to where it should be,” said the 26-year-old. “I’m feeling confident and I wasn’t feeling like that at the start of the season. Kyle Lafferty is a clever player and I like playing off him. He sees your runs and it’s good to play with him. I am learning a lot with him.”

Saturday’s point against County – courtesy of a thrilling 2-2 draw – ultimately kept Kilmarnock only two points from the bottom, but for Pinnock that is almost worthy of an open bus tour round Ayrshire having previously found himself 10 adrift with AFC Wimbledon. They went on to stay up that season and he believes the experience will stand him in good stead.

“You have to play each game and not look too far into the future,” said Pinnock, who scored for a second league game running to put Killie ahead after Chris Burke’s opener had been cancelled out by a Michael Gardyne equaliser. “I’ve been in this position before so I know what it takes to get out of it.”

Like Pinnock, Gardyne also has the experience of relegation tussles and his side are just a place and a point above Killie following the draw.

“It helps that myself and a few others have been in this position,” said Gardyne, who celebrated his first goal for more than a year before Alex Iacovitti rescued a point for his side. “It is just all about winning games of football and creating chances.”

However, County’s chances could be hindered by an injury to Iain Vigurs and Gardyne believes Lafferty was lucky to escape with just a booking for a flailing arm, which left the Staggies’ skipper with a bloody nose.

“Iain was insisting it should have been a red and so were the other lads around him,” he said. “You could see it was a bad one.”