COULIBALY MAGIC SEES OFF CLYDE
IT IS early days but Kilmarnock’s suffering supporters might just have found a new cult hero after Souleymane Coulibaly wowed them with some magnificent acrobatics after the cheekiest of finishes which sent the Premiership men on their way to victory in Group H of the Betfred Cup.
The one-time Tottenham academy graduate performed a spectacular somersault after a clever backheel 21 minutes from time having endured a frustrating day up to that point.
And even although his actions are alarming for the medical team, manager Lee Clark hopes the gymnastics are a regular occurrence in the new season as he shapes his side following 11 new signings.
The Ivorian struck at just the right time as Clyde had missed a penalty eight minutes earlier.
He showed great skill when he took Josh Magennis’ low ball in his stride with his back to goal and produced a cool finish having missed a series of earlier chances.
But manager Lee Clark was not surprised because he knows the quality of his new striker.
Clark said: ‘Souley has the knack that all good goalscorers have. He never gives up and keeps playing even if he has missed some chances.
‘His goal was all about quickness of the brain and I think the fans enjoyed his celebration although I’m not sure the medical department did.
‘But I’m hoping I see that every week because that means he’s putting the ball in the net and I’m sure he will do well.
‘The fans will take to him because he is a bright spark. He’s a super kid. He loves scoring goals and he has got into the group quickly.’
Coulibaly could have made things more comfortable earlier in the game but missed with three headed opportunities.
Greg Kiltie cleverly picked him out in the middle of the box in 22 minutes with a precise cross from the left but Coulibaly headed straight at John Gibson.
Then, in 31 minutes, he should have done much better when skipper Steven Smith delivered a great free-kick to the back post but the header was too high.
Thirteen minutes into the secondhalf, Magennis, who has only just returned to action after being part of the Northern Ireland squad for Euro 2016, hit a great cross from the right and the Ivorian headed wide from five yards then booted the right post in frustration.
It was centre-back Will Boyle who scored the crucial second goal in 76 minutes when he rose well to head home Jordan Jones’ corner. It was atonement for giving away a penalty in 61 minutes which gave the League Two side the chance to create an early-season shock at Broadwood.
Boyle was booked for handling Dylan Easton’s shot but Scott Linton made a complete mess of the spot-kick and Jamie MacDonald saved easily.
Jamie Watson did find a late counter, connecting with Easton’s free-kick three minutes from time, but Clyde manager Barry Ferguson knew the penalty miss was the turning point.
He said: ‘We should have won the game. We were the better team.
‘We felt a bit sorry for ourselves after we missed the penalty but I don’t think there was a massive difference between the sides. If the penalty goes in it’s a different game but I told them not to be disappointed. I was delighted with the performance.’
Ferguson may have been biased, of course, but Clark was not entirely pleased with the overall display and knows he has work to do in the remaining group matches to find a winning formula.
He added: ‘We’ve won the game but there is a lot to work on. There were some decent individual performances. I felt the two centre halves were solid, Souley looked explosive and Josh looked bright when he came on even although he is a week behind.
‘It will take a few weeks for everyone to gel. One or two of the signings have hit the ground running quicker than others.
‘Normally, in pre-season, you get the opportunity to change systems and make lot of personnel changes but we are in a cup competition and I want a run in it.
‘I need to get all of the boys match action before the league season starts, so it’s a balancing act.’