LYONS HEART
Del admits having Brad back for run-in is a huge boost to Killie’s Euro crusade
DEREK McINNES says Brad Lyons will be like a new spring signing as he prepares to hand Kilmarnock a huge boost in their bid for Europe.
The midfielder hasn’t played this year after sustaining a knee injury against Dundee at the end of December, which resulted in him getting surgery.
But McInnes has confirmed Lyons is set to be back at the start of next month after the 26-yearold missed a dozen games.
The gaffer said: “Brad will be back ahead of the split, so he’ll be fit for St Johnstone in the last game before it or potentially Ross County the week before.
“He’ll be like a new signing at that time of the season. Him and Kyle Magennis were outstanding for us in the early part of the campaign and when Liam Donnelly and Rory McKenzie were injured, we had these boys.
“Now, with Brad and Kyle injured, we have Donnelly, McKenzie, Davie Watson and Liam Polworth helping us out. And that’s what a squad is all about.”
While Lyons and Magennis have been unable to play, Killie have had other stars fight through niggles and strains to keep them bang on track for the top six.
Captain Kyle Vassell has led from the front, with other key contributors also refusing to buckle as the squad – sitting in fourth – maintains momentum.
McInnes added: “Vass didn’t train for the last three months of last season. But without signing him and Luke Chambers in the January, we would have really struggled to stay in the league.
“Vassell was there, he stood up every Saturday for us. When he played, we did better and it’s like that just now.
“He was an obvious pick for me as captain. He’s well regarded and respected. “It’s unusual in some respects for a No.9 to be a captain and it’s maybe not perfect in the sense I always like centre-halves and central midfielders to be captain. “But he has thrived on it and when we made him captain, we just told him, ‘Don’t change’.” January signings Kevin van Veen and Greg Stewart have mostly featured off the bench but got more game time yesterday as both scored in a 5-4 Reserve League loss to Queen of the South. The Rugby
Park boss said: “Greg is choking to play but he’s got a hernia situation at the minute.
“We need to manage the work of Marley Watkins at times and we’ve done that with various boys. At this stage of a season, a lot of boys will not be playing 100 per cent.
“There’s aches and pain and issues going on but we accept that as the way it is.
“It’s just making sure we get them out there on a Saturday.”
Vassell and Watkins have been inspirational in recent weeks with the front two causing mayhem.
The duo hit three between them in last weekend’s fightback success over St Mirren and their goal tally has been crucial to Killie’s charge.
McInnes backed his front boys to deliver when planning at the start of the season and said: “Last summer we weren’t going to be in a position to sign a striker who was going to get 20-odd goals.
“So we committed to two strikers and let’s try to have two who can get us double figures.
“I feel we will get that as Marley has 11 and Vass has nine.
“It sounds such a simple and basic way to go about it but that’s what we were thinking.”