Lafferty seals huge win for Killie

Kilmarnock Dundee Utd 3 0

IT was quite literally men against boys last night at Rugby Park and not for the first time it was Kyle Lafferty who took centre stage.

The mercurial Northern Irishman was magnificent, making light work of Dundee United’s makeshift defence and picking up the match ball with a shrug. It helped that for ten minutes his opponents decided to open the gates, not just allowing the barbarians in but inviting them for a spot at the dinner table.

Lafferty was only too happy to accept the invitation and his first-half hat-trick was more than enough to keep Kilmarnock’s good run going. With Hamilton Accies and Ross County both losing, it turned into quite the night for Tommy Wright’s men

It wasn’t a complete disaster for the guests. Kerr Smith, at just 16, looked for the most part unruffled and calm, going toe-to-toe with players many years his senior.

He was still two years from this earth when Chris Burke once again, key to Killie’s win made his Rangers debut but last night he did himself justice. As did Archie Meekison, a second-half change, who got his first taste of league action for the Terrors.

But it was a night which belonged to Lafferty as he took his tally to nine goals in just eight games - this a second hat-trick - and once again took a hammer to the naysayers who worried he might not be the man to pin Kilmarnock’s hopes on. He could just be.

It had been a fairly uneventful half hour - a couple of nice touches from Smith aside when he finally opened the scoring. With Killie advancing, a harmless enough ball was played out to the channel and off scampered Ross Millen into space. Sniffing a chance, Lafferty drifted over to Smith’s side and when a swirling cross came their way he was too strong for the teenager.

Less than ten minutes later he was celebrating his hat-trick after, first, sweeping home Millen’s cut back and then making the most of a chance from the spot following Jeando Fuchs’ silly tackle on Mitch Pinnock.