McCulloch concerned as Killie take forever to click into top gear
KILMARNOCK’S home form has been as poor as their record in cup competitions in recent seasons and there appeared to be little improvement in either respect until the second half yesterday when they finally overwhelmed Dumbarton.
Before the interval, they produced a laborious, pedestrian display which had their fans on edge until they raised their game after the break. Confidence oozed from them once the deadlock had been broken but they had made hard work of it until then against their part-time Championship opponents.
Indeed, they could easily have fallen behind when Dougie Hill’s header from former Killie winger Chris Johnston’s corner on the half hour had clearly crossed the line, before Jamie MacDonald hooked it away. Referee Bobby Madden rejected the visitors’ claims and infuriated Sons manager Steve Aitken.
‘If that had been given, it could have been a different game,’ he said.
As it was, Chris Burke opened his account for his new club with a looping 53rd-minute headed goal from Dom Thomas’s cross. Kris Boyd added a second with a firm downward header after the winger had also found him with a fine delivery.
Substitute Lee Erwin, who signed from Leeds United on Friday, opened his account just 16 minutes after coming on for Burke when his half-volley from Boyd’s flick-on beat Scott Gallacher and went in off his left-hand post.
Kilmarnock manager Lee McCulloch was not fooled by the late, late show, however.
‘I’m delighted with the second-half performance,’ he said. ‘First half, though, we were a yard or two off it and they were the better team for the first 30 or 40 minutes until we got to grips with it.
‘We looked a bit jaded for some reason, but in the second half we got a reaction. We passed the ball more crisply, created lots of chances. If it wasn’t for Scott Gallacher, it could have been a couple more.
‘All in all, I’m pleased with the second half, but the first half just wasn’t good enough.’
Killie hope to complete the signing of their former defender, Gordon Greer this weekend. The 36-year-old, capped 11 times by Scotland, is a free agent after leaving Blackburn.
‘It would be a tremendous coup if we could get that one over the line and there’s one or two others we’re actively speaking to,’ said McCulloch.