Killie switch focus back to league after snuffing out Highlanders’ cup dream
Steve Clarke has no desire to bask in the glory of Saturday’s march to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup. Dundee are at Rugby Park in a rearranged Premiership fixture tomorrow night and the Killie manager is focused on ensuring his team’s magnificent home run continues.
Kilmarnock produced a clinical performance to see off Highland League side Brora in the fifth round of the cup. Aaron Tshibola opened the scoring with his first goal since arriving on loan last month, before kris boyd doubled the lead. Ea mon nBrophy and Stephen O’donnell wrapped up a straightforward victory.
Clarke’s side have now won six successive matches at Rugby Park while conceding just two goals.
“We have a good run of form here at home and it was good to keep that going,” said Clarke. “We’ve got Dundee coming on Tuesday night and we have to work as hard as we can for three points.”
The Killie manager was pleased with his team’s ruthlessness against Brora.
“We spoke at half-time that if we got the second we had to get the third and the fourth,” he said. “That’s how you respect your opponents; you keep going, don’t switch off and don’t stop.
“It was always going to be difficult. You have to give Brora a lot of credit. They came here and made it difficult.
“We just had to keep chipping away at them to get the goals. The one before halftime was a big bonus.”
Brora, along with Cove Rangers, were hoping to become the first Highland League side to reach the quarter-finals in 40 years and manager Ross Tokely was heartened by his side’s efforts.
“It’s earned us a wee bit of money!” he joked. “The chairman will be delighted.
“When we beat the two League One sides, it gave us a lot more confidence and nobody expected us to do anything here. We were massive underdogs.
“I hope now we can kick on in our season and finish strongly, because we were playing against some very good players out there.”