Taylor may find opener to be better than Brazil
GREG TAYLOR made the very most of scoring his first goal at top-team level and paving the way for Kilmarnock to leapfrog Aberdeen into third spot and an automatic qualifying place for next term’s Europa League.
Was it better than beating Brazil, though? Well, let’s leave that until the end of the season and see whether it helps manager Steve Clarke’s incredible turnaround job at Rugby Park over the past 17 months deliver a glorious return to UEFA competition.
Taylor, of course, sent shockwaves around the world in the summer of 2017 when representing Scotland Under-20s and producing an exceptional strike to down Brazil in the Toulon Tournament.
Right at this moment, getting one over on an abysmal Hamilton team — so bad that they caused manager Brian Rice to state that yesterday was his most embarrassing experience from 40 years in football — may not quite create the same headlines from Fenwick to Fortaleza.
However, the 21-year-old admits that his opening goal — which was followed by efforts from Conor McAleny, Youssouf Mulumbu, Chris Burke and Mikael Ndjoli — will achieve an altogether more satisfying long-term objective should it contribute to this special collection of players marking their success with future trips to foreign fields.
‘I can’t say that goal was better than beating Brazil. I can’t lie. That was something else. But if it helps us get towards Europe, it might be,’ said Taylor.
‘That’s us up to third spot in the table and I would say Europe has got to be the aim now. We managed to secure top-six and we can’t just let that mean our season is done.
‘You saw me when I scored. I didn’t know what to do. I think I was in shock, but I felt I took it well. It was quite similar to the Brazil goal, so I save those up for special occasions.’
Taylor’s effort, after five minutes, certainly made it clear where the three points were going from this encounter. Mulumbu picked up the ball in central midfield and played a firm, well-directed pass out to him on the left flank.
The full-back had been afforded a ridiculous amount of freedom by a visiting defence caught napping. However, his task was hardly straightforward. Mulumbu’s pass was travelling at speed and arriving at hip-height.
Taylor’s take, though, was tremendous and gave him the freedom to make the most of the space by moving into the area and releasing a powerful, angled shot that went in off the near post and high into the far corner.
From that point onwards, Killie controlled the game. They had a penalty claim turned down just before the quarter-hour mark when Accies keeper Gary Woods failed to deal with a ball into the area and let it go through his legs before Rory McKenzie, trying to nick in and take advantage, hit the deck under pressure from Lennard Sowah.
Referee Andrew Dallas’s refusal to bend in the wake of some fairly vigorous claims was never likely to alter the day’s events significantly.
Accies did have a chance 10 minutes before the interval when lone striker George Oakley provided Daniel Bachmann with a simple save from a header from a Sowah cross. It would have been daylight robbery had they scored, though.
If Killie did have a complaint from a first half in which they enjoyed 70 per cent of the possession, it was that their territorial advantage had not resulted in a glut of opportunities. That all changed in the second period as they cruised out of sight.
On 56 minutes, McKenzie put in a low ball from the right that was left by Kris Boyd in the centre of the box. The home captain had clearly received a shout from McAleny and the English forward, on loan from Fleetwood Town, did the rest by converting from close-range for just his third goal in Killie colours.
Before long, it was 3-0. A forward ball from McKenzie made its way to Mulumbu inside the area and he showed tremendous composure to get the ball under control — without a huge amount of pressure from the visitors, it must be said — and curl a low, right-footed effort past Woods and into the corner.
Woods had to deny McKenzie from close range within a matter of minutes but — after a brief lull in the onslaught — Burke, on for Mulumbu, made it four near the end when scoring from a matter of yards out after being set up by fellow substitute Liam Millar.
Ndjoli was not to be denied after coming off the bench either.
With the game in stoppage time, he picked up the ball out on the right, released a speculative effort and saw it go in after taking a nick off the near post.
‘In 40-odd years in football, it’s the most embarrassed I’ve been,’ said visiting boss Rice. ‘We are fighting for our livelihoods and everything and we were nowhere near it.
‘By the end of the game, we were lucky that it was only 5-0. Kilmarnock were excellent, but, by God, were we bad? We’re either really good or we play like that.
‘Someone said to me it’s always been like that at Hamilton, but why should we accept that?
‘I am sickened by that performance.’