NOT JUST A LAFF
Dicker admits Kyle’s hit ground running
Gary Dicker joked with hat- trick hero Kyle Lafferty that he’d only completed three PASSES against Dundee United.
But the Kilmarnock skipper couldn’t care less – so long as the striker keeps rattling in the goals for Tommy Wright’s side.
And he’s hoping Lafferty’s form continues into tomorrow night’s Scottish Cup quarter-final clash against St Mirren in Ayrshire.
Dicker believes the big striker has filled a void left by Killie legend Kris Boyd in terms of being a character in the dressing-room.
He said: “It’s entertaining having to share a dressing-room with Laff, I’ll tell you that.
“It’s the most goals he’s scored since being at Hearts. And everyone is raving about him just now.
“But the whole team deserves credit. He’s getting chances, which is the main thing for a striker.
“Obviously, he’s got to take them which is the hardest thing to do in football. But it’s a good match, Laff and Kilmarnock. He’s lively, always up to something.
“We’ve always had a good dressing-room here, no one ever shies away. We’ve got a good group of lads who want to do well for the club. They care about it.
“And Laff has bought into that straight away, you can see that with his performances.
“You don’t play for the clubs he’s played for if you can’t play. But he’s probably surprised a few of us, he’s not just a goalscorer.
“He’s actually quite an intelligent footballer in terms of picking up good positions.
“He likes a laugh and a joke but when it comes to a Saturday it’s business.
“He’s hit the ground running and he does his stuff at the top end of the pitch. That’s why strikers get the most money – as big Boydy will tell you!
“Laff has 10 goals now, two hat-tricks. After the United game in midweek I said to him: ‘ You only completed three passes and those were the three goals!’
“That’s the sign of a good scorer and I think people have lost a bit of that in football.
“Everyone looks at what strikers can do, whether they can hold it up or not. But you just want them to score goals.
“I don’t care what they do in between. But Laff is good at both and he’s putting the ball in the back of the net for us.
“That takes the pressure off everyone.”
Dicker and his Killie pals are just two games away from the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden.
In the midst of a relegation dogfight in the Premiership he has refused to allow himself even to think about Cup success.
But now that the quarter-final is upon him, he’s delighted that in Scotland we still take our own FA Cup far more seriously than clubs down south.
Dicker said: “The Cup’s a good distraction – but it’s all about staying in the league for us.
“I’ve not let my mind drift that far. Maybe if the situation had been different in the league, I might have.
“It’s nice now to have a cup game, which is a bit of a free hit. And it’s the chance to reach a semi-final. “It would give ever yone a lift, especially the fans. And it’s a chance for the owners to get a few quid in their pockets after the season they’ve had.
“The Scottish Cup is bigger up here, it still holds good value. I don’t think the FA Cup does anymore. “It’s still one of the main things Scottish teams want to do well in. “You don’t see managers resting players, in fact it’s the opposite in Scotland.
“Managers see it as a great chance to win something and we’re like every other club.
“If we can get through Monday and get a day at Hampden, it’ll be a great incentive. And if we got to a final we’d want to win it.
“But that’s a million miles off right now.”
At least after haul ing themselves away from the foot of the table – thanks to Lafferty’s goals – Killie have their destiny in their own hands now, in both competitions.
Dicker said: “It’s all in our hands now, there’s nobody else to blame.
“You can’t moan about decisions or games we should have won.
“We have to go out and do the business.
“The rest will take care of itself.”