BLAME DUCK
James apologises for horror miss but Accies pals won’t point fingers
It’s the kind of miss that will haunt your dead- of- night dreams. Four yards out, three points beckoning.
In James Keatings’ first-ever top flight start in a 180-game, seven-year career, the 26-year-old finally saw light at the end of the tunnel – only to have the train hit him as he found the side net.
But while his heartfelt apology for the howler fell on deaf ears in a consoling Accies dressing room, the honest playmaker – who set up Dougie Imrie for the opener that earned a vital point for Martin Canning’s men – was determined to fall on his sword for not turning it into a win over in-form Killie.
Rory McKenzie’s 44th- minute equaliser was still enough to take the home side clear in second spot and continue their remarkable run.
But Keatings’ pain wouldn’t ebb as he lamented the second- half chance he had to put an end to it.
He said: “I’m beating myself up for the chance I missed at the back post. I should score but put it past the post.
“I’m coming off thinking I should have scored and earned us the three points so I’ve apologised to the lads.
“I’ll just need to get my head down and keep chasing my first goal in the Premiership. We win as a team and lose as a team, the lads have said that but I’m still going to take the blame for it, you have to do that. Hopefully I just take the next chance.
“It’s still a good point though. We competed well in the Rangers game and didn’t deserve the result we got but we knew this would be tough, the way they’re playing and where they’re sitting in the league.
“But we showed we can compete and take points off anyone. It speaks volumes that we take a point off the team second in the league but it’s up to us recognise that, get consistency and keep picking up the points.”
On paper and on form, it should have been a no contest – Killie’s five wins in six games up against Accies six defeats in seven matches and a dozen goals conceded in their past three.
As the old saying goes, though, the game’s not played on paper, it’s played on plastic and Martin Canning’s side were burning some of the fuel of injustice they felt at their late 4-1 caning by Rangers last weekend.
Chances were horribly few and far between in a tight first half hour, Accies nice and compact and forcing Killie to play around the peripheral of the game, whi le they were having serious issues dealing with Keatings’ dead ball prowess at the other end.
Jamie MacDonald had to be alive at his back post to claw out a potential own goal from Aaron Tshibola as the on-loan Aston Villa midfielder tried to turn out a deep inswinging Keatings cross under a lot of pressure.
But the keeper was helpless as the former Hibs man fired another free-kick in from the other side and Imrie got a faint touch off the back of his head to glance home.
Killie responded and were level within 10 minutes when nice work from Stephen O’Donnell and Greg Stewart on the right saw the Birmingham City loan man fire into the box.
Tshibola thought it was his but McKenzie was quicker and his shot nestled in the bottom corner.
Any sign of it being a turning of the tide was quickly dispelled after the break as uncharacteristic slackness saw Killie cough up the chance Keatings will still be rueing this morning.
Imrie’s ball across the face of goal eliminated a caught Killie defence and although he was outside the back post, it was still little more than a tap-in – but Keatings collapsed with his head in his hands as he found the side net.
It’s a measure of the standards Killie have set for themselves and their fans that even the point that would take them clear in second earned some grumbles.
Ball retention was as poor as it has been all season for Killie and despite them throwing on Kris Boyd and Jack Byrne, and freeing O’ Donnell further up the right, the final ball just never found its way through.
Accies – inspired by their youth side’s heroics in the Champions League in midweek – kept them at bay and even a naive double booking and sending off for late sub Steven Boyd didn’t see them crumble.
Sympathising with Keatings, Canning said: “I didn’t see the miss properly but Keatsy was good in the game, it was great to get him fit and his delivery for the first goal was fantastic.”