killie.net

Monday, August 16, 2004

On another day...

Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at home to Celtic encapsulated everything that is at once exhilirating and punishing about watching Kilmarnock. In a breathless first half hour Killie played some of their best attacking football for a long while, pressing an unusually porous Celtic defence into several errors, and twice taking the lead through goals from Gary MacDonald and Gary Wales – his first for the Club. Kris Boyd chased, harried and generally upset Valgaren to an extent that his presence seemed to grow with every move. The belief the team so obviously had in themselves was infectious and as fans we sat, stood, cheered, bit our nails and dared dream that we might, just might, get a result. Christ, even the scoreboard agreed. Yet, Celtic still came back us each time levelling first through Hartson then Thompson.

Then, just as the first half shuddered towards it’s conclusion, David Lilley slapped away a through-ball under pressure from Sutton, referee Mike McCurry flashed him the red card, Lilley walked and we fell silent in disbelief. Before Killie even regrouped to assess the damage, Thompson had fired in the free-kick and the game was over.

The second half was everything the first period wasn’t. Robbed of numerical equality, Killie’s pressing counter-attack game bit the dust in the afternoon heat and they could do little to wrestle the ball from a Celtic team almost embarassed by their let-off. Harston added a fourth as the game petered out, no longer a contest or a spectacle. Killie were spent.

Much had been said about McCurry prior to the game – he was the man who chalked off a perfectly good Boyd goal in the last meeting between the two sides at Rugby Park. His appointment for this fixture was the typical flexing of muscle and chest-beating superiority we’ve come to expect from the powers that be. Why avoid controversy when you can sustain it? The refs just love it don’t they? By his own standards McCurry had a normal match, failing to penalise Celtic’s front men for persistent fouling and awarding free-kicks for any old Petrov swan dive (the fourth goal came from one such travesty). But let’s not kid ourselves. Mike McCurry didn’t beat Killie. Lilley’s naivety did that. It’s doubtful McCurry would have done the same at the other end – and he clearly relished his moment in the spotlight, but Lilley gave him the excuse.

Anyway, enough. There was much to be proud about on Saturday. Killie have in the past crumbled to Celtic, but this wasn’t the case here. Celtic didn’t even have a single corner in the match. And with the injured trio of Invincibile, Johnston and Dargo to return perhaps this season may not be as bleak as first predicted. It’s Tynecastle on Saturday. We don’t win there very often. But you’ve got to dream don’t you…?

¶ 9:12 PM

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life as a Killie fan

if you care to, you can watch the Killie's season unfold here in dramatic fashion. ok, it won't be dramatic. it'll be full of the usual stuff, but i'll do my best to make it interesting. you'll get the away U21 reports here too. i should be committed.