Kilmarnock

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: "We have had games recently where we've had nothing for our efforts, up at Pittodrie I thought we deserved a point.

"Certainly deserved something last time out of Ross County but I think it's fair to say, I think in the context of today's gameI thought Hibs were the better team.

"I think they came here in good confidence and good form. I think this is the best Hibs team that I've come up against in a few years, I think they've got a wee bit of everything and with that added ingredient of confidence, think they've got ballplayers, they've got size, athleticism on the sides and a proper front pairing. Obviously Hoilett was added to that as well.

"We looked a wee bit spooked by their movement at the top end of the pitch and when we did try to get after them and be brave with our press, they banged it in behind and shook us up a wee bit and made us a bit more nervous than we wanted to be.

"That said, they didn't work our goalkeeper too much but obviously when you watch the flow of the game and the nature of the first goal that we lose, it's a wee bit self-inflicted. We've tried something, it's not worked, somebody's not done their job right and the whole build up to that and when you do set plays, everybody has to do what needs to be done and Hibs were good enough to punish us.

"I don't think I get the team right today and I think it's my job to try get as much confidence into the team as possible, particularly with the nature of the games coming up.

"I don't think I get the team right today and I think it's my job to try get as much confidence into the team as possible, particularly with the nature of the games coming up.

"And hopefully by the time the St Mirren game comes round we've got Stuart Finlday back training in and Kyle Vassell, so it's not all bad, it's not all negative, it's a good point in the end.

"But there's an honesty from us all that we needed to be better."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Coming into this, it felt that the outcome here might significantly shape Kilmarnock's season run-in.

A win would have provided a shot at top six. That looks gone. Defeat would have kept them in an increasingly dangerous position and certainly not where they want to be at this stage of the campaign.

The point changes that slightly but may be more important psychologically than anything else. Home fans looked very worried until Murray's late equaliser.

With St Mirren away, Motherwell at home and then a trip to Celtic before the split, it seems clear that pulling away from danger is now an urgent priority.

Defensively, they don't look secure. The concession from their own corner was criminal. Hibernian looked composed for the most part and found space in dangerous areas too often.

Changes to shape and personnel didn't make too much difference until late on but Derek McInnes will know form needs to improve quickly to avert immediate danger.

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Kilmarnock have lost Kyle Magennis for six to eight weeks with the knee injury that forced him off against Ross County.

Kyle Vassell and Stuart Findlay remain out after ankle injuries but both are back running.

Hibernian are without influential pair Nicky Cadden (hamstring) and Joe Newell (pelvis).

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Matty Kennedy is determined to help Kilmarnock make a late surge for the top six after returning from an injury lay-off that was a lot longer than expected.

The influential winger has had three brief substitute appearances since returning from three-and-a-half months out with a back problem.

Kennedy has made the most of Killie's two-week break from action before Saturday's visit of Hibs.

"It's been good to get more training sessions and there was a reserve game as well," the 30-year-old said. "So it's been good for my fitness.

"At first when I got injured, I didn't think it would be as long, and another part of the injury affected me which we didn't notice at first. Once I got that sorted I got back on the training pitch.

"It is hard, we all go through it at some point in our career. I thought it would be a lot shorter than it was and you have your family and friends asking when you are going to be fit. It's not ideal when you have no idea.

"It is difficult when you don't know when you are going to be fit. The weeks pass and it's another game missed. It's not ideal to keep your head but we I'm fit now."

Tenth-place Killie are six points off the bottom and six adrift of sixth with just four games left before the split, but Kennedy insists they are only looking up as they attempt to match last season's top-half finish.

"We as a group have always spoken about the teams in front of us, trying to push up the table, we have not looked behind," he said.

"I feel with the squad we have, we shouldn't be where we are, we should be higher up. We will push each game trying to get three points and see where it takes us.

"It's obviously not ideal where we are and it might be we have a few games short, but we need to win now if we are going to have a chance."

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• Kilmarnock have only won one of their last 13 Premiership meetings with Hibernian (D4 L8), a 1-0 victory at home in November 2022.

• Since the start of last season, all three of Hibs' league visits to Kilmarnock have been score draws – two 2-2 stalemates in 2023-24, and a 1-1 draw in September of this campaign.

• Kilmarnock have lost each of their last three league games, last losing more in succession in the top-fight in February 2021 (eight in a row).

• Hibs remain unbeaten in 13 league games (W9 D4), winning each of their last three in a row while scoring at least twice each time. Hibs last won four Premiership matches in a row while scoring two or more goals in each in February 2021.

• Hibs' Martin Boyle has scored eight goals in this season's Premiership, his second-most in a single campaign in the division, behind only his 12 in 2020-21. However, just one of his eight strikes has come away from home, netting at Aberdeen in December.

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Derek McInnes believes the inclusion of teenagers James Wilson and Lennon Miller in the latest Scotland squad should encourage Kilmarnock's own youth prodigy Bobby Wales.

The manager also believes it should motivate the 19-year-old, whose contract is up at the end of the season, to stay at Rugby Park.

"It should be an incentive for all players that if you're playing regularly and doing well in the Scottish Premiership, you're normally in the eye of the Scotland manager," McInnes said.

"Likewise for Bobby, if he looks even at James Wilson getting called up - somebody who's young and playing and scoring in the Premier League, as is Bobby. They're different types of players but there's similar pathways and similar in terms of their development."

McInnes has been trying for months to secure the striker's future at the club and the Kilmarnock local has previously admitted it would be hard for him to leave.

"I firmly believe that Bobby being here longer will be the right move for him," the manager added.

"I've got my Killie head on here and I want Bobby to be here for our club and for our cause, but I actually think it would be really good for him.

"I'd be devastated if Bobby was to leave, knowing that if he performs well, with us, I'm sure he can get into the international set-up, I've no doubt about it."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media before his side's Premiership clash with Hibernian this weekend.

Here are the key points:

• Although he'd rather have been playing in the Scottish Cup, it has been "a good break" that has allowed McInnes to get key players Matty Kennedy, Stuart Findlay and Kyle Vassell closer to fitness.

• Of the three, Kennedy - who returned last month from a lengthy lay-off - "benefitted most" and is now "a bit closer to starting games" while McInnes believes his side have missed "the physicality and leadership" of Findlay and Vassell, who are set to be back for the St Mirren game after the international hiatus.

• The manager would be "devastated" if Bobby Wales does not sign a new deal and leaves at the end of the campaign.

• McInnes adds that Motherwell's Lennon Miller and Hearts' James Wilson, both 18, being called up to the Scotland squad should be an added incentive for Wales to stay at Killie.

• The Killie boss doesn't believe Hibs' cup exit to Celtic will "derail them" after their 15-game unbeaten run ended.

• He believes from "sixth down, nobody can breathe easy" to due to the unusual tightness of the league.

• McInnes says the rollercoaster Hibs have been on this season "will be good" for David Gray because "sometimes you don't find out about yourself until you get through" a tough spell.

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Kilmarnock have reported a reduced loss of £974,000 for the year to May 2024, with turnover having increased by more than £1m.

The Scottish Premiership club, who made a loss of £1.12m a year earlier, took in £7.66m, compared with £6.41m in 2022-23.

Last season's higher finish of fourth in the table (up six places), boosted coffers by almost £550,000 and secured a European qualifying place at the start of the current season.

In the profit and loss section of their accounts, Killie list a 'cost of sales' figure of around £1.24m, which is a £330,000 change from 2023, while administrative expenses totalled around £8.01m - up from £6.84m.

The Rugby Park club had net current liabilities of £542,000 but "£459,359 was written off the balance due to Billy Bowie Special Projects Limited".

Cash in the bank was listed as £121,000.

Derek McInnes' Killie are 10th in the Premiership, six points off the top six with four games until the division's split.

The club are planning to replace their artificial surface at Rugby Park before the start of season 2026-27, which "will see a significant push to assist with the fundraising required".

"Club majority shareholder, Billy Bowie, will finance and manage the development of the new training facility, Bowie Park," said secretary Graeme Bryson.

"With the support of 5,000 season-ticket holders, we believe the club is in the strongest possible position to sustain life in the Premiership."

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

We are getting to the time of the season where the nerves kick in, the tempers get frayed and the lager intake sees a sharp increase.

Killie's three defeats in a week was very damaging and it simply puts a bit more pressure on our upcoming fixtures.

First up is a visit from Hibs who are on a great run even if they did get knocked out the cup at Parkhead last Sunday.

A fixture against the Hibees brings memories of Kris Boyd saving our skins our skins on the last day of the season, Paul Wright scoring world-class goals and endless entertainment on the bridge of doom.

Mostly though our last-day survival under Tommy Burns with over 6,000 fans in the capital is one of my favourite Killie memories.

That side displayed an incredible desire to succeed and that is the one quality we need more than any other in our remaining fixtures.

Hopefully we may have a few faces back from injury to strengthen the squad this weekend. Three points may just be the timely boost we need for a difficult run-in.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

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Kilmarnock teenager Bobby Wales is an "elite striker" who should be fast-tracked into the Scotland squad along with Hearts forward James Wilson.

That's the view of Scottish coach and football analyst John Walker, who would rather see Wales, 19, and 18-year-old Wilson named in Steve Clarke's squad on Tuesday for the looming Nations League play-off with Greece than Ipswich Town's George Hirst, who has been linked with a call-up.

"Anyone that's seen Wales play football up close knows he has absolutely everything, he is an elite striker and should be playing at the level that Hirst is playing at," said Walker on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The more you see of Wales the more I'm impressed, he's got everything, absolutely everything.

"He's an aggressive presser, he's got pace, he's brilliant at bringing people into play, he's got a great finish, he's really composed in front of goal.

"Him and Wilson, the sooner you get them into the squad, the sooner those two progress their careers, because the reality for Scottish football needs to be that we are feeder clubs for bigger stepping stones.

"Wilson and Wales are people that will feature in the national side going forward, I think you just get them in now.

"You're just kicking the can down to get Hirst in at 26, 27, for him to potentially be around for four years.

"At some point you need to stop, but this is the problem. Steve Clarke's got the carrot in front of him of you need to get to a World Cup, so maybe he's looking at it only in this cycle alone and [thinks] Hirst gives me the best chance to do that just now."

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

On 8 March 2024, Derek McInnes' Kilmarnock were fifth in the Scottish Premiership with 41 points from 29 matches. They would go on to finish fourth and secure European football in what was a wonderful season for the Rugby Park outfit.

Fast forward a year and they are 10th, with just 31 points from 29 matches.

Given the tightly-contested nature of the league this term, they could yet finish in the top six again, but it will be an uphill battle with just four matches left until the split.

The challenge of competing in an extra competition at the start of the season undoubtedly took a toll, but what else is behind Killie's drop-off?

Let's start at the back. Their success last season was built on a solid defence, one that shipped 44 goals in total. They have already surpassed that tally this time around, conceding 47.

That unhappy knack of conceding goals means they have dropped 11 points from winning positions.

Another alarming statistic is those 47 goals come from an expected goals against value of 42.1. Indeed, goalkeeper Kieran O'Hara has the worst save rato in the league with 52.4%.

At the other end, Killie have scored only one goal fewer than this time last season, when they had 34, but the underlying data shows yet more underperformance.

Killie have the fifth-highest expected goals (xG) tally in the league with 38.9, but the third-lowest goal haul, with only Ross County and St Johnstone netting fewer.

In total, McInnes' side have missed 37 big chances, with Marley Watkins alone squandering 13. Only Bruce Anderson is delivering in front of goal. The former Aberdeen and Livingston striker has scored eight times from an xG value of 7.9, converting 26.7% of his shots into goals.

McInnes has also been unable to find a consistent starting team, making 74 changes to his XI in total.

Underperforming in both defence and attack while having an unsettled side is hardly conducive to positive results, and goes some way to explaining Killie's slump from the highs of the previous campaign.

Stats taken from Opta and FotMob.

We asked you to tell us the one thing nobody is talking about at Kilmarnock.

Here's what some of you said:

Jim: Nobody is talking about the decisions the manager is making every week. He very rarely plays the same team twice in a row. Why does he play a forward who has only scored four goals and contributed one assist all season?

Anna: Nobody seems to be mentioning relegation because that is what will happen if we don't get our backsides into gear and start winning again. Steve Clarke would be so disappointed with how badly wrong things have gone for Killie. If Derek McInnes thinks a top-six place is up for grabs...

Robert: Poor game management, is it lack of skill or mental weakness? Is this the reason McInnes keeps changing the line-up and refuses to play talented players off the bench? Gary Mackay-Steven, Calvin Ramsay etc.

Andrew: We seem to have lost our identity from last year. We played a back four, two wingers crossing into the two strikers who played off each other. This year we have chopped and changed formation depending on the team and played players out of position. It makes consistency difficult to come by and players struggle to remember the new instructions each week.

Amy: Nobody is talking about our injury record. It was trotted out about Motherwell yet they managed to sign a whole new squad. We've been unable to have a settled keeper, the best centre-back outside Glasgow in Stuart Findlay out for ages, Kyle Vassell injured, Matty Kennedy, who is our most creative player, out for months and nursing a problem. All important players.

Boyd: I think we are really horrible right now. We start so well against teams then completely chuck it and it costs us. I'm not confident we will stay up and I would only keep three players who are out of contract at the end of the season.

Derek McInnes' Kilmarnock have suffered three defeats in a row and are now tenth in the Scottish Premiership table.

The Rugby Park side are only three points ahead of Dundee in 11th and six above St Johnstone at the bottom.

What is the one thing regarding Kilmarnock - good or bad - nobody is talking about?

Let us know., external

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

It was a long day for the 300 Killie fans who travelled to Dingwall on Saturday and it rounded off a very bad week for us.

Our repeated bad habit of poor in-game management reared its ugly head again last midweek when we capitulated against Rangers.

Both management and players have to shoulder the blame and it could prove very costly as we plummet down the table.

A win at Dingwall would have been massive, however no points in three games against County is relegation form whatever way you dress it up.

We have the worst away record in the league this season and the manager's record of eight wins in 53 games on the road over the past three seasons is horrendous.

Many of the fans I spoke to in Dingwall were less than complimentary about the manager. It's time for him to take some responsibility, recognise things aren't working and make the changes that will help us retain our league status.

We have a free weekend upcoming so that may give us a chance to get some injured players back.

Kyle Magennis has had a terrible time with injuries and we hope he is back sooner rather than later following his latest setback on Saturday.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

BBC Scotland Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart says the number of chances Kilmarnock missed in their defeat by Ross County is indicative of their season.

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