HIGHLAND HERO
Boyd caps the Killie comeback in Dingwall
KRIS BOYD capped a stirring revival from two goals down with a late equaliser to maintain the Kilmarnock feelgood factor under manager Steve Clarke.
The visitors had looked dead and buried in the Highlands at the break, with County leading through efforts from Chris Routis and Jason Naismith.
But Eamonn Brophy’s fourth goal in three games sparked the recovery and Boyd’s header killed County’s hopes of drawing level with their opponents in the Premiership table.
Clarke, however, is nothing if not a hard taskmaster. Despite his team’s fightback, the Killie boss said: ‘The character in the second half was encouraging but I want to see that effort and endeavour from the first minute.
‘If we had done that, we might have been going home with three points. But, from the position we were in, you have to credit the players. It has turned out to be a good point for us.’
There was intrigue in the battle of wits in store between two managers who had crossed paths often enough in the English Premier League.
County boss Owen Coyle and Killie counterpart Clarke have both roused spirits at their clubs since embracing Scottish homecomings, although Clarke’s record coming into last night’s tussle was the more eye-catching.
When the former Chelsea, Liverpool and West Brom coach arrived in mid-October, Killie were down in the doldrums after a nine-game run without victory.
In the nine games leading up to last night’s voyage through the snow to Dingwall, Clarke had engineered four wins and three draws — including surprise points gleaned from both Ibrox and Celtic Park — with only two defeats.
Clarke was able to name the same XI that thumped Partick Thistle 5-1 at the weekend.
But it was County who enjoyed by far the better of the early exchanges, with Chris Eagles looking particularly threatening.
The former Manchester United winger fired wide after just three minutes and was involved in some intricate passing moves as Coyle’s men asserted themselves.
Eagles also had the crowd gasping in delight with a sublime, jinking run that evaded three or four challenges before fizzling out.
A Kirk Broadfoot mis-hit clearance after 24 minutes sparked danger for Killie, but Craig Curran’s curled shot from 20 yards swirled just above the angle of post and bar.
A thigh strain for Gordon Greer brought an early substitution for Killie, with former County stalwart Scott Boyd coming on to warm applause from the home crowd.
Whether or not the disruption affected Killie, County were ahead just after the half-hour.
Eagles’ corner from the left swept through a crowded penalty area and found Routis sneaking in at the back post unmarked. The Frenchman placed a powerful side-foot volley past Jamie MacDonald from 12 yards.
The value of Eagles’ dead-ball deliveries was underlined in devastating fashion for the second goal four minutes before the break.
From the right, his measured free-kick held perfect pace for Naismith, but the County right-back’s 15-yard head-flick was brilliantly timed as it soared past MacDonald.
Killie’s evening seemed to be going from bad to worse as Stuart Findlay became their second defender to limp off injured before the break, replaced by Greg Taylor.
Just as Killie, after such a poor first half, seemed unable to snap out of their slumber, a thunderbolt came from nowhere.
Brophy collected a pass a couple of yards outside the County area on 61 minutes, but seemed to have too many dark-blue shirts around him to really threaten.
The Killie striker had other ideas, though, and unleashed a 25-yard rocket into the net.
All of a sudden, the visitors were back in business. County brought on Ryan Dow for Davis KeillorDunn in a bid to re-energise their play, with Billy Mckay introduced soon after in place of Curran.
Momentum was with Clarke’s men, however, with County defending desperately in some shaky moments with backs against the wall.
Youssouf Mulumbu sent a fierce shot goalward as the unrelenting away pressure continued, with a flailing County leg only just diverting it over the bar.
Still Killie came. Boyd had a penalty shout waved away five minutes from the end after falling clumsily under Marcus Fraser’s attentions.
But the veteran striker’s moment came four minutes from the end as he rose to meet Chris Burke’s cross with a close-range header that deflected past Scott Fox.
County boss Coyle said: ‘Some of our football in the first half was outstanding. But we let things slip in the second half and didn’t pass the ball as well as we can.
‘But me and my staff got the job here for a reason. We know there is a lot of work to be done.’