Killie star’s woofless streak! Hat-trick hero demands pet prize
STENHOUSEMUIR 0 KILMARNOCK 4 Lafferty (38 pen, 45, 56), Oakley (87)
Kyle Lafferty has already told Tommy Wright that his reward, should he keep Kilmarnock in the top flight, is a bulldog pup for his toddler daughter, Sienna.
The Killie boss – who rears that breed – is having none of it but there is no doubt that Lafferty has rediscovered his bite at Rugby Park these past few months.
And how that will offer comfort to Killie.
The striker, signed in February, netted his third career hat-trick as Kilmarnock eased past Stenhousemuir and into the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.
George Oakley also netted his first goal for the club.
Lafferty has now netted six goals for the club to make him second-top goalscorer behind Chris Burke for Killie this term, a reflection of the paucity of goals at Rugby Park.
“He is not getting a bulldog. I wouldn’t wish it on a bulldog because he couldn’t look after it,” said Wright. “He asked me during the week to breed one for him but that will not be happening.
“I will find another way (if he keeps us up). He should be paying me for bringing him back and scoring goals again.
“But that is why we brought him in. I do believe we have players at the club who can be creative and get us into good positions and we just needed someone to come in and finish those off.
“It is good for George as well; his goal was well-taken too.”
Lafferty’s opener came from the spot – much to the frustration of Stenny manager Davie Irons, who was later sent to the stand for protesting about an award his own side should have had.
But the 33-year-old was a menace to the Stenhousemuir defence throughout the game.
There was an inevitability about his second goal seconds before the half-time whistle sounded when Rory McKenzie supplied him and he side-footed into the net.
A post delayed the hat-trick before he added a third following Chris Burke’s delivery in the second period.
The only worry for Kilmarnock was a serious concussion that Zech Medley suffered after an aerial collision with Mark McGuigan. The player initially staggered away before having to sit down.
“There was a slight delay with it and that is worrying,” said Wright.
“But we can’t look too much at it until we get the X-ray.”
Irons, meanwhile, has bemoaned the authorities for their lack of common sense and included referee Greg Aitken in that criticism.
Being banished to the stand was one irritant, but his part-time side now face a gruelling run of four games in a week.
“The penalty’s soft, even their players said so,” said Irons. “What do they say? A player feels contact and goes down? Suppose it’s cute, but it’s really frustrating.
“It felt like the ref couldn’t wait to give the penalty and then to show me the yellow card and it was the same when we appealed for a spot-kick of our own in the second half.
“We’re now at Brechin on Tuesday, then have Cowdenbeath at home on Thursday and Queen’s Park at home on Saturday before we go again on the Tuesday.
“For me, that’s another poor decision. The lower leagues have been treated with a lot of disrespect because, as well as the volume of games itself, we’re all having to ask for time off work over and over again.
“We’ve got to be at Brechin for a 7pm kick-off because there’s live European football on the TV, but how we affect that situation when we’re playing behind doors is beyond me.”