Clarke: I never talked about a title tilt

Steve Clarke says any talk of a Kilmarnock title tilt was nonsense – even if it came from Rugby Park supremo Billy Bowie.

His side were top of the table going into yesterday’s clash with Celtic but were brought crashing down to earth with a 5-1 defeat.

Majority shareholder and Killie fan Bowie had suggested they could do a Leicester by becoming champs against the odds.

But gaffer Clarke was far more realistic and insists games against the Old Firm won’t define their campaign.

He said: “We didn’t speak about titles, nobody at Kilmarnock did. There were a million questions about it and people talking out of their backsides.

“It’s not important. We know where we are and where we’re trying to get to. And we’re doing alright. After 14 months we’re doing OK. We congratulate Celtic today but it’s no drama for us.

“Billy’s the owner, he can say what he wants because he pays my wages. He was asked the question and actually said the same as me – he’s happy with the progress.

“He’s a fan as well so he’s allowed to dream but we know where we’re trying to get to. Six points in a week is still a good week.”

Clarke admitted they weren’t at Celtic’s level and said: “They were good. They started quicker than us and we lost our shape a bit.

“They were more alert from the off. They had fresh players after changes while we’re asking the same boys to go back to the well.

“Our full-backs looked jaded but they’ve been playing from the middle of June with Scotland.

“And Stuart Findlay dragged himself off the treatment table to play without any training.”

Got a bit of stick from the home fans but handled this big game with ease. All of his bookings were spot on and the one controversy was Killie’s penalty. But he was probably right to award a spot-kick for Filip Benkovic’s trip on Rory McKenzie because the challenge looked just inside the box.

NICK WALSH: 7