Wright wants reward for Killie fans

TOMMY WRIGHT is determined to send 3,000 Kilmarnock fans home happy after tonight’s derby at rivals Ayr United. Killie have sold out their entire allocation for the trip to Somerset Park and Wright has been blown away by the backing his team will receive. Wright conceded after Saturday’s unconvincing win over Hamilton at Rugby Park the players needed to do more to entertain a home support who made their feelings clear over what they were watching. But the Killie boss is thrilled the fans will turn out in huge numbers against Ayr. Wright said: ‘It’s magnificent we’ve got 3,000 supporting us at Ayr. ‘I don’t know what crowd they’ll get but we’ll probably edge it in terms of numbers. ‘It’s a big lift for the players but we still have to go and perform. It is important we give them something. ‘Fans will show it if they’re disgruntled, no matter where you are. On Saturday, we were loose in possession and made it difficult for ourselves. ‘When that happens and the crowd react that way, you have to be strong mentally to deal with it. Be brave on the ball and better on the ball.’ Wright, who remains without injured captain Chris Stokes, admits his players go into the game on a high after climbing back up to second and within three points of Inverness at the Championship summit. He added: ‘With all the other results at the weekend, it meant we gained points on other teams in the league. ‘Now we’ve got two games against Ayr and Queen of the South where we have to try and put a string of wins together to get up the table.’