Classy Killie made to work hard for tight victory over Fifers

ALLAN JOHNSTON brought a Kilmarnock side packed with SPL experience to face Willie Aitchson’s Division Two men.

Scotland international Kris Boyd, Darren Barr, Paul Heffernan and James Fowler were among those picked to test the Fifers.

And the fans had barely taken their seats when Killie grabbed the lead.

Ryan Harper was picked out free inside the box and had enough time to send a fine lob over Michael Andrews in the East Fife goal.

It was almost two a couple of minutes later when a Jeroen Tesselaar cross along the face of goal looked destined to be met by Boyd until Joe Mbu got back to intercept.

Against a soundtrack of constant protests from the Killie fans against chairman Michael Johnston, Kilmarnock kept up the pressure on the Fifers, with Tesselaar trying a shot of his own.

It took a while for the Fifers to make any sort of impression but when they did, it was the everimproving Liam Gormley who was at the centre of things.

The former Celtic kid almost netted an equaliser for East Fife when he picked up the ball on the edge of the box and fired a shot on target, which Antonio Reguero had to deal with.

Willie Aitchison will have been happy with how composed his side looked on the ball against the SPL men.

However, Kilmarnock always looked dangerous in and around the box and Sammy Clingan could have made it two but his long-range drive sailed over the bar.

Aitchison included two trialists in his starting line- up, one of them former Raith Rovers striker Pat Clarke.

However, it wa s familiar face Scott McBride who was the next to test Reguero when he burst through on goal only to find the keeper equal to his strike.

Aitchison used the closing stages to experiment, pushing defender Alexis Dutot into midfield and the Fifers look to have found a real gem in the Frenchman, with the summer signing looking classy ahead of defence.

East Fife: Andrews, Dutot, Johnstone, Thom, Mbu, J Stewart, R Stewart, Trialist, Trialist, Gormley, McBride. Subs: Durie, Semedo, Nade, Trialist, McNeill.

Kilmarnock: Reguero, Tesselaar, Fowler, Barr, Haining, Clingan, Boyd, Heffernan, Harper, Jacobs, Johnston. Subs: Gros, McKenzie, Ibrahim, Winchester, McKeown , Fisher, O’Hara, Slater, Ashcroft, Samson.