Killie capitulation sees Dyer heading for the exit door
Burke (5), Tshibola (32)
ST JOHNSTONE 3 Melamed (54), Davidson (68), Mccann (72) Kilmarnock parted company with manager Alex Dyer last night after his team surrendered a two-goal lead to lose this one.;
It was their eighth defeat in 11 games, just two of which have been won. Killie are now onlyfour points above Ross County in the play-off position.
Dyer took charge following the sacking of Angelo Alessio in December, 2019, and was confirmed as manager at the end of last season.
However, the Ayrshire club have struggled to find consistency and injuries to influential players have hampered their efforts.
A statement on the club’s website confirmed that they will be seeking a new boss.
“Kilmarnock Football Club can confirm the departure of manager Alex Dyer by mutual consent following today’s 3-2 defeat to St Johnstone,” it said.
“We are grateful to Alex for all he has achieved with the club since joining Killie in October, 2017.
“Recent results and performances have been disappointing and with 24 points from 25 Premiership matches, we believe this is the right time for a change.”
Although the decision to replace him had already been taken, Dyer had been allowed to appear at the post-match press conference.
“I’m disappointed,” he admitted. “We were 2-0 up and in control of the game and the second half came around and we weren’t at the races. I don’t know why.
“We stopped doing all the stuff we’d done well in the first half and if you do that against a side who are confident then you get punished.
“When it went 2-2, for me there was only going to be one winner.
“There is a fragile confidence about the team and that comes with not winning enough games.”
Saints fell behind as early as the fifth minute and they had only themselves to blame for that.
The ball fell kindly to Chris Burke after Jason Kerr and Nicke Kabamba came together while attacking George Oakley’s headed pass.
Burke sent Scott Tanser to his right then veered to the wing-back’s left before beating Zander Clark low to his right.
David Wotherspoon was inches away from equalising with a 25-yarder and Guy Melamed’s scissor-kick was blocked on the line.
Yet, while they failed to make their pressure count, Killie increased their lead.
Burke’s deep cross was volleyed goalward by Nicke Kabamba, whose effort was inadvertently blocked by Aaron Tshibola. The midfielder reacted quickest to the loose ball, spinning to lash it behind Clark from close range.
The visitors were entitled to be baffled by the scoreline and Melamed then saw a netbound shot blocked by Rossi, but Clark turned a venomous drive from Burke behind as Killie sought a killer third goal.
Saints got the goal they needed shortly after the restart when Melamed forced the ball home after Chris Kane helped on Tanser’s cross.
The equaliser they merited came midway through the second half when Killie failed to defend a Wotherspoon free-kick.
Jason Kerr nodded it back in to the danger area, Melamed could only help it on and Murray Davidson lunged in to prod the ball home for his first league goal of the campaign.
Four minutes later, Melamed rolled the ball to Mccann and he drove it low inside Rogers’ post from the edge of the penalty area.