Jim: We can be Hampden heroes
FROM THE BACK PAGE as the perfect opportunity to rectify that run, with the synthetic pitch likely to be less of an issue as it has been in previous encounters.
He said:“Our record down in Kilmarnock isn’t great. They’re always very close encounters and it’s definitely time to put that right.
“There’s not a great deal between the teams. There certainly wasn’t when I was a player.
“In the games we’ve played this year, there hasn’t been much between us.
“We had a good result in Paisley in the last league game between us.
“We’ll be looking to try and replicate that again tonight.
“Of course, nobody particularly likes playing on the Astroturf, but it’s not an excuse we’re going to make about the surface. We’ve played on those types of pitches plenty of times over the years.
“The fact it’s a Monday night makes it a lot easier for us, because normally at night there’s a little bit of grease on the pitch and the ball moves a little bit better.
“If it’s a sunny, 3pm kick-off, it can be an absolute nightmare because the pitch gets awfully sticky.
“We’re looking forward to the game and we know what’s at stake.
“My lads have had a taste of Hampden in the semi-finals in the League Cup recently and we’re all desperate to get back there and make amends for getting knocked out at that point.
“We want to go one step further and try and get to the final.”
Goodwin admits Saints’ record in Kilmarnock isn’t great. The last meeting in Ayrshire saw Saints
lose 2-0