Boyd’s winner over the Saints eases Killie worries

KILLIE pulled off an against the odds win at McDiarmid Park to end a calamitous league run.

They had shipped 12 goals in their last three matches but Scott Boyd’s goal eased the pressure, at least until they visit Inverness next Saturday.

Saints had most of the pressure and a good supply of chances but their failure to take one of them early on gave Killie all the encouragement they needed.

“We’ve had to come back from two heavy defeats by Celtic and Aberdeen but I felt at the end of the week the players, were in a much better place,” reflected Killie boss Lee Clark.

“Today we’ve had our first clean sheet, which is encouraging and we’ve bounced back against a very consistent side.”

Saints’ boss Tommy Wright was less happy.

“We made loads of chances in the first half but didn’t take them and I was disappointed with our tempo after that.

“We did more than enough to win the game but we’ll take it on the chin.”

Kilmarnock had Jordan Jones catching the eye on the left, where he was a constant threat with his pace and positivity.

Being naturally leftfooted is a big plus on its own these days but when linked to a desire to race at defenders and commit them, it’s a potentially match-winning combination.

It was from a rare Killie corner that Jones set up the visitors’ goal with 15 minutes left, bundled over the line by sub Scott Burns

That said it was a tough shift for Lee Clark’s side, who struggled to convince.

While the Ayrshire men were often tempted to find the front players, from deep positions, the Saints had cohesion and a persuasive blend in their midfield.

Liam Craig, Danny Swanson and Murray Davidson all have the

ability to find an opponent with speed and accuracy, carrying them from back to front swiftly.

Just a little more composure up front and early dominance, would certainly have yielded a couple of goals.

Steven MacLean was the home player who was most often in the danger area, taking the ball into shooting positions, with his movement and physical strength.

When he had taken care of these barriers, there was still Jamie MacDonald to pass in Kilmarnock’s goal.

Rory McKenzie was happy to have a potshot, a couple of times close to the target, with pace.

Blair Alston on the Saints’ right was another who tried low, skimming shots from an angle, which saw MacKenzie have to scamper across goal to protect his far post.

Of the defenders, former Aberdeen stopper Joe Shaughnessy more than paid his way and even found time to stride forwardfor a strike at goal.

Meanwhile, the two busiest players, in the first half certainly, were Killie centre-backs Miles Addison and sub Boyd and they worked hard to cope under pressure.