Cup calamity will spur Watkins on as Killie and St Mirren do battle
Kilmarnock forward Marley Watkins believes the players owe the fans and themselves a big performance following their cup exit.
A full away end at Pittodrie endured a disappointing 90 minutes last weekend as Killie lost 3-1 to Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup.
Expectations were high amid Killie’s impressive league form but Aberdeen led for the vast majority of the game.
Watkins felt the pain of the defeat for days afterwards but he is now determined to put things right on the Rugby Park pitch as Killie and St Mirren face off for the right to go fourth in the cinch Premiership.
Watkins said: “It’s a massive game. We weren’t at it last Saturday. It hurt us a lot because of the manner in which we went out and we want to put it right.
“We were hurting for the days afterwards but it’ s about how we react and we owe the supporters, ourselves and the staff a better performance and a winning performance. We have to react and react well.
“I felt the goals we conceded were soft. Goals change games and gave them the momentum. It just wasn’t like us.
“It was an uncharacteristic performance but there’s no point crying about it and feeling sorry for ourselves.
“We just have to react and put in a good performance here, especially for the ones who made the journey.”
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson, meanwhile, has branded the alleged abuse suffered by Gallagher Lennon as "unacceptable" and insisted the focus should be on the youngster's football ability.
Police are probing claims that the 18-year-old midfielder, who is currently on loan at Dumbarton, was subjected to vile taunts which referenced bullets in the post and death threats received by his father, the former Celtic manager Neil Lennon. It has been reported that the player's mother, Irene, overheard the comments, which supposedly came from the Dumbarton end during the match against East Fife in Methil on Saturday, and reported them to the club.
Dumbarton issued a statement supporting the player this week, and now Saints boss Robinson has expressed his anger as he addressed the matter during his pre-match press conference ahead of his side's trip to Killie.
“It's not acceptable,” Robinson said. "I have spoken to Gall, he'll have all of our support as always. I've spoken to his family and they know my thoughts. What we should be talking about with Gallagher is he's the captain of the Northern Ireland Under-19s, he's been fantastic for Dumbarton, and they've handled the situation very well. I'd rather talk about how well he is doing as a young player rather than give credit to anything else.”
Dumbarton, who are fourth in League Two, issued statement on Wednesday to confirm that an incident had taken place. It read: "Dumbarton Football Club can confirm that we are aware of an alleged incident that took place at our match away to East Fife on Saturday, and this is being investigated by Police Scotland.
“The club has, and will continue, to offer support to the player involved and his family. Dumbarton Football Club adheres to a zero tolerance policy and will cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.”