Magennis is strong enough to rise above abuse, says Clark
KILMARNOCK manager Lee Clark insists Josh Magennis has not been affected by the abuse he was allegedly subjected to at Tynecastle on Saturday. Police Scotland are investigating the Northern Irishman’s complaint that he was the target of a racist remark from the Hearts end during Killie’s 1-0 defeat in Edinburgh. The allegation involves a male, described as being in his mid-40s, white, of a stocky build with receding dark hair, wearing dark glasses and a dark jacket. Hearts have said they will back police action to weed out the culprit, whose alleged comment made reference to the 25-year-old striker’s Northern Irish origins. And Clark was pleased to see the player put the incident behind him ahead of tonight’s match against Ross County at Rugby Park. Clark said: ‘Josh is great. He has trained well and has been in a positive mood. I had a one-toone with him to debrief him on his performance. ‘I didn’t get involved in the off-field stuff — that’s a police matter. ‘It’s being dealt with. Josh is dealing with it in the right way. Both clubs have dealt with it in the right way. It’s ongoing, so I just move on in terms of the football.’ Killie are currently second-bottom of the Premiership and face a daunting double header against Aberdeen and Celtic after tonight’s match against County. But Clark says he is not worried about Dundee United closing the gap on his team to eight points. He said: ‘I have enough things to do here at Kilmarnock without worrying about Dundee United. That’s my focus.’