Defender Findlay’s Killie loan deal extended until end of season

NEWCASTLE defender Stuart Findlay has extended his loan spell at Kilmarnock until the end of the season.

The Scottish defender had originally joined Killie on a halfseason loan deal, but he has done enough to convince the Scottish Premiership outfit to extend that deal until the end of the season. The 22-year-old - who joined Newcastle in 2016 from Celtic - has made 16 appearances for Steve Clarke’s side this term and has been a regular starter as they currently lie in sixth place in the Scottish Premiership table.

Speaking after signing his extension, Findlay told Kilmarnock’s official website: “I feel this spell has been a lot better for me.

“I’ve matured a lot and I’ve been more of a mainstay in the team than the first time I was here. Everything has been positive and that made the decision to stay for another six months easier. In general I was happy being in the side from the start and I’ve enjoyed playing.

“In the past couple of months we’ve picked up some great results and we want to keep the ball rolling in the second half of the season.

“I want to play as many games as I can to help Kilmarnock finish as high up the table as we can. The better I perform then hopefully the better the team can perform and we can get high up the league...”

Former Scotland under-21 international Findlay made his Newcastle debut last season in a 3-1 FA Cup third round replay against Birmingham and is highly rated on Tyneside.