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Saturday, October 30, 2004

Script for a supporter’s tear

It’s been an eventful week these last seven days at Killie. We went into last Saturday’s home match with ICT thinking, surely, this was three points for our taking. And for much of the match this looked to be the case. Like Dens Park the previous week, Killie took the lead in the opening few minutes, this time a rare goal from wee Stevie Murray. Such was Killie’s dominance in the opening stages that, even when Caley equalised via a sloppily conceded (and deflected) goal soon after, Killie appeared to have the match under control. Greer promptly re-established the lead with a fierce volley (his first Killie goal? I’m not sure) and, when the Highlanders were reduced to 10 men early in the second half for a dubious “last-man” foul on Dargo we sat back and waited for the goals to be racked up. Unfortunately so did the Killie players.

It’s one of the truisms of football that teams often play better with 10 men than 11, especially if spurred on by a perceived injustice. What is also true, though, is that the opposing team’s reaction to the situation is to think their work is done for the day. On the hour match Killie reverted to what I call “fanny-about mode”; a disguise we wear quite well. We missed a pile of chances – Invincibile especially profligate when faced with only the keeper to beat – but the lack of urgency was frightening. And sure enough, with only about 6 minutes left on the clock, Caley stuck the ball in behind our defence and scored. 2-2. Killie, to their credit, stuck with the clichéd script and battered the Caley goal for the last 5 minutes but to no avail. Had they tried this half an hour earlier we would have won by 5 or 6. A lesson learned you hope.

It was a short wait until Wednesday’s game at Fir Park and our chance to shake off the lethargy of the Caley game. Killie’s preparations were dampened by the news that Kris Boyd will be out for up to six weeks following a knee operation. Gary Locke, taken off in the Caley match, was also still injured. It’s always a tough/shit match at Motherwell and the manager appeared to be making some sort of statement with his team selection. Nobody in the stand quite knew what he was saying though… In came Nish for Boyd, and Johnstone for the (goal-scoring) Murray. Peter Leven went to midfield with Freddie filling the left-back spot. His centre-back position was taken by new signing Simon Ford. It’s pretty well known at Rugby Park that Dindeleux can’t play left-back – his lack of pace being even more exposed. Bringing in Ford to partner Lilley was tantamount to dropping the Frenchman, yet Jefferies appeared to bottle this decision and put him at left-back instead. In the opening tussles this looked like being our undoing. The back four was a shambles. Dindeleux and Ford spent more time running into each other than anything else and Greer just concentrated on kicking Clarkston every time he got within range (OK, most of us would do the same). Lilley just about held us together.

Yet, somehow, they eventually got themselves organised. Motherwell spurned their early gifts and as the game wore on Killie looked more in command. Dargo hit the post with Marshall beaten, then Nish popped up with a trademark poke from a yard out after an Invincibile shot was only parried by the ‘Well keeper. Killie then defended their lead like their lives depended on it; showing exactly the kind of tenacity, aggressiveness and urgency missing from the Caley match. After what seemed like an eternity (90 minutes in Motherwell normally does) the three points were ours and the Killie fans trooped away a happy bunch.

It’s Hibs at home today – and a chance for us to move above them in the league. If we put in the effort I’m sure we’ll do it.

¶ 7:52 AM

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