From me, to you, to me – Boyd gets emotional as Super Ally gives plaudit
Kris Boyd is the only man to have hit the net 100 times for two Scottish clubs.
But he gave up one chance yesterday – to take the acclaim as the greatest goalscorer of his generation.
The Kilmarnock striker was given that accolade by Ally McCoist, who managed a Rangers’ team for Boyd’s testimonial game at Rugby Park.
Although flattered, the 35-yearold tried to hand the title back to his former Ibrox boss.
He said: “The stats don’t lie! To come from someone like Coisty, who was THE best, means a lot to me.
“I grew up watching him scoring goals and it is nice to be appreciated by other goalscorers.
“People think scoring goals is easy, but it is not.
“To hear it from someone like him makes you feel a bit emotional inside.”
It was somehow fitting that Boyd missed as many chances as he converted in his match.
He didn’t become the all-time SPL top scorer without being able to shrug off a wasted opportunity.
A hat-trick on his big day was a perfect outcome.
Boyd actually made his debut in Ally McCoist’s last game as a player — a 1-0 win for the Ayrshire side over Celtic in 2001.
Two of his three goals yesterday were swept in from the penalty spot.
The first was a rather generous award from referee John Beaton after Alexei Eremenko went down in stages.
Eremenko, also now 35 admitted afterwards: “I’m not the same as I was back in the day, but Kris is still the same. He never changes.”
It was the sort of afternoon where compliments were flying and everyone was feeling generous. Proceeds were going to Boyd’s charity that helps people with mental health issues.
Even the home fans couldn’t help applauding when Nacho Novo, recently recovered from a heart attack and stroke, came off the bench to convert a penalty.
A crowd of 4,302 watched Kilmarnock field a number of their current first team along with former stars like Garry Hay, Manuel Pascali, Andy McLaren and Alan Mahood.
The Rangers squad included Kenny Miller, Sasa Papac, Charlie Adam, Pedro Mendes and Marvin Andrews.
Two of the veterans created the goal of the afternoon when an Alex Rae cross was volleyed home in style by Peter Lovenkrands.
Boyd’s goal from open play was a quick turn and prod home from close range.
His contract is up at the end of this season, but he shows no sign of being ready to give up.
He said: “I’ll keep going until at least until the end of this season and see what happens then. As things stand, it would be pretty stupid of me to say this is going to be my last season.”