Brophy is tormentor in chief to Ibrox men

BY the end of a thunderous night under the floodlights in Ayrshire, there was a sense that Kilmarnock had gone back to the future.

A rousing victory over one half of the Old Firm which sparked scenes of wild celebration, it felt like a restoration of the good times the club frequently enjoyed under Steve Clarke.

Their nostalgia, though, was not shared by the travelling Rangers fans, whose only memories were haunting echoes of a title challenge faltering in similar fashion at the same venue last season.

There was also a painful irony to be found in the identity of the home team’s two goalscorers in their 2-1 win on Wednesday night, given that Stephen O’Donnell and Eamonn Brophy both came through the youth ranks at Celtic.

For Brophy, in particular, it is becoming a habit. He scored in Killie’s 2-1 victory over Rangers at Rugby Park in January last year.

He also fired a late winner from the penalty spot when they triumphed by the same scoreline when the teams met at Rugby Park on the final day of last season.

When it comes to popping up with a goal in these big games, few players in the Premiership can match his strike rate. True to his nickname, he is Hungry Like The Wolf.

And the 23-year-old Scotland striker (right) believes Wednesday’s result can serve as the statement victory required to propel Killie onwards and upwards and into the second half of the season.

‘I was absolutely delighted to score at the end,’ said Brophy. ‘The most important thing was the three points and the boys are buzzing.

‘There’s no better feeling than scoring a goal when the team wins, especially against either of the Old Firm.

‘I was hoping I’d get an opportunity. Against either of those sides you know that you are going to have to defend a fair bit.

‘I was dropping towards that midfield line, but I was always hoping something would fall for me.

‘I was getting a few texts (from Celtic friends) on the day of the game, but that’s not my focus.

‘My focus is Kilmarnock and we were delighted with a massive win for us. We look forward to Sunday now as that’s another huge game.

‘Beating Hibs is just as important as beating Rangers to us. But I hope this ignites our season.

‘We’ve been excellent since the break so, hopefully, that will continue. We don’t want to get carried away and we’ll keep trying to move forward.’

With four goals in his last three league games, Brophy is hitting a rich vein of form and has been key to the upturn in Killie’s fortunes.

Alex Dyer’s men have now won three Premiership games on the bounce and have a Scottish Cup replay against Aberdeen to look forward to at Rugby Park next week.

Brophy’s confidence was demonstrated by the way in which he clinically dispatched the ball beyond Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor on Wednesday night for the winner.

If he can continue to find the net with the same sort of regularity over the coming weeks, he could yet be pushing for a recall to Clarke’s Scotland squad. With the Euro 2020 play-offs now just little over a month away, he added: ‘Listen, Scotland is not on my mind at the moment, Kilmarnock is. If I am scoring here and doing well, the international thing will take care of itself. ‘It’s been a real privilege to be involved in previous squads, but I don’t want to think too much about it.’ Brophy also paid tribute to the impact made by Nicke Kabamba. The big target man has had a positive impact at Killie since joining in January. He has three goals in all competitions and looks to be forming a formidable partnership up front with Brophy, perfectly illustrated by the way they combined for Wednesday’s winner against Rangers. ‘Nicke really has helped me a lot,’ added Brophy. ‘He’s been brilliant for me. Last season, I played my best football alongside Greg Stewart so it’s been great to get some help from another striker. ‘He’s taken some of the pressure off me and must take a lot of credit for our revival. ‘The boys behind us have been in terrific form, too, but Nicke has been a really big help for me.’