Season Diary

Aug 9th 2016... There has been a lot happening since my last submission and our fantastic result against Falkirk which ensured our survival. The shareholders have called for an EGM to oust Michael Johnston from the board and it was reported last week that the board have done the same. There have been more departures and arrivals than I care to mention with Lee Clark’s new look team failing to make much of an impact with an early exit from the League Cup and at loss at home in our first league game. That said, we do look to be improving and if the boss could add a bit of creativity to the midfield and maybe a right back to bolster the squad, then it may not be as bad as some seem to think. Two more things…the referee sucked and we need to start playing before 4:25pm!

Aug 16th 2016... We left it late again on Saturday and struggled until we went with two up front. Boomer has regained his touch in front of goal, and his hairline, and that’s him literally hit a ton of goals for the mighty. Even his effort that went over the bar wasn’t so crap in terms of publicity! Coulibaly hit yet another cracker that gave us our first three points of the season as we sneaked into a top six position. It was a great result and gave the fans something to sing about but we are far from the finished article yet. We still need a right back, some guile (or at least some passing) in midfield, and a guarantee that Jones will start every game. I look forward to seeing what Kiltie can bring to the party when he comes back from injury.

Aug 23rd 2016... So much for that winning streak! It’s a long way to Dingwall and an even longer way back when you get beat for the seventh time in a row from the former Highland League outfit. It was a cracking sunny day in the north but there was no joy to be had for us as we put in another disjointed performance that barely registered in the ‘shots for’ statistics. Two new players signed on Friday made their debuts, Adams and Hendrie, is it a coincidence that our performances are not all they should be when we keep drafting new faces in at the last minute? I hear Chris Burke is training with us as well, but I hope that Lee can field a more settled side soon as the potential is definitely there, we just need some consistency in selection.

Aug 30th 2016... Not many would have predicted Friday’s starting line-up for sure, but Lee Clark called it and it certainly seemed to work up to a point, so plaudits to him for that. Despite facing a what is seen as a ‘new’ club to the league I would still have given my right hand for a draw before the match considering our form of late but I can’t now help but feel that we dropped two points. Had we finished all our chances and the referee been a bit fairer then the game could have been over bar the shouting in the first half. That’s not the way things work though and we struggled a bit in the second culminating in the sending of young Greg Taylor, quite rightly to be fair, but the defence were resolute and could do nothing to stop that free kick sailing in so the young guns (and Boydie) ended up having to settle for a draw. Food for thought for the critics!

Sept 6th 2016... The international break and the transfer window “slamming” shut doesn’t normally mean a lot to us but there was some business for Killie this time around. Davies and Waddington were returned to their clubs after what was possibly the shortest loan deals in a long time, and we brought in Scott Boyd on loan instead, a defender from Ross County who surprisingly is not a right back. After a few days away I came back and read the board’s Q&A on the SLO page and thought I’d returned to 2010. Answers like “the club are in no financial difficulty” fly in the face of what our new financial guru said at the recent AGM, sorry but we know where such rubbish is emanating. The fans were looking for someone to rally behind if we got rid of MJ, how about the other directors who also want him gone? They just need to come out in public and declare themselves, that waould be a good start.

Sept 13th 2016... We took a welcome point from Dundee on Saturday with Coulibaly scoring an audacious overhead kick to equalise for Ayrshire’s finest after losing a sloppy goal from a corner early doors. It is great to watch the striker score yet another worldie and do his celebration flips, but it was even more touching to see him then dedicate his goal to his grieving team mate, Kris Boyd. I am at a loss for words to describe the admiration and respect Killie fans and players have for Boydie, given his decision to momentarily put his personal grief aside, to lead the line for us at Dens Park. The strength of character he showed and determination to get his job done is an inspiration to us all and I hope he realises that through this personal tragedy his Killie family will always be there for him.

Sept 20th 2016... I remember the Jags visiting us not so long ago and giving us a real doing, 2-5 was it? Not so much this time with the mighty going ahead twice, first with an opportune strike from Boomer and the second from Coulibaly, yet again, finding the net. Defensively we do seem to be stronger, but not strong enough to easily hold a lead. Captain Smith went off injured early doors and we played the majority of the game with Hendrie at left back (who did well) and midfielder Hawkshaw in at right back. Despite that it is the midfield where we seem to be lacking; there is something just not right there, and while we have Kiltie still to come back and give us some creativity, we could do with someone to put his foot on the ball and splay about some passes while Dicker is off the boil.

Sept 27th 2016... How many goal of the season contenders is that from Coulibaly now? The wee man doesn’t seem to do ordinary and his opener stunned the Eastenders into silence. Sadly, that just seemed to annoy them and they rolled over us just like they have most other SPFL teams so far…Rodgers is a decent manager and it looks like no one will get near them this season so our fans shouldn’t be too despondent at the result, you can’t judge the team on results up there. Off the park we are on the verge of all-out war with Johnston reportedly rejecting a full price offer for his shares from his fellow directors to go, and investors going public with how much they would put in if that happened. What can we as fans do? Let him know in no uncertain terms that he is not wanted by whatever means necessary, time to get off the fence as all you’ll get is a sore back side!

Oct 4th 2016... We were outclassed by a better team again on Saturday and from the penalty that should never have been, there was no way back. No real excuses I suppose, but we can’t afford to change the manager every time we go through a bad spell because they are all too often in the past few years and, at the expense of sounding like a broken record, the crap starts at the top and rolls downhill. The protest against Michael Gonesoon never amounted to much as he suspiciously never turned up and many fans had wandered away after the fourth goal went in. I think the KFCSA should play a stronger role in any future planned event because you get nowhere if you are not organised. Interesting to see all the potential investors in the directors’ box instead of MJ, a sign of things to come?

Oct 11th 2016... Killie fans were gutted this week to find out that Greg Kiltie may be out for the rest of the season. He had an operation in London at the weekend which at best will see him side-lined until April at the very earliest. His creativity and application are going to be badly missed, we need a fit Kiltie. The new inductees to the hall of fame were Stuart McLean, Eddie Morrison, Ray Montgomerie, Manuel Pascali, James Fowler and Tommy McLean. The dinner in the Halfright Hotel was not well attended and you have to wonder how much that is to do with the current reaction of the fans to events on and off the park. Two years in and about twenty-two inductees, too many if you ask me, it has to be more exclusive to reflect the gravity of the award.

Oct 18th 2016... For once the international break seems to have done us some good. Miles ‘Tank’ Addison has returned and added some stability to the defence and we managed to keep a clean sheet on Saturday in an unlikely win up at Perth. We started slowly but improved through the game as we started to play the ball on the deck, Hendrie particularly in my opinion looked impressive going forward. Jones was a constant threat and must have played his way into the team that will start at Inverness, likewise Martin Smith who showed a tenacity that we need in the team right now. The KFCSA have launched a petition against the pariah Johnston and you can sign that in a few places around town and eventually on line, hopefully this is just an indication of things to come and moves against him will escalate in the near future…this is one battle we can’t afford to lose.

Oct 25th 2016... We could have made it two in a row at Inverness on Saturday, but hesitation in defence cost us two points with only four minutes left on the clock. Killie started brightly and when Coulibaly was bundled over the in box in the seventh minute, he stepped up and rattled home the resultant penalty. I think it is fair to say that we had most of the play with Jones and Hendrie impressing again, but we sat too deep at times and that eventually cost us. Having hit the bar twice in the second half we still had every right to feel aggrieved on the long journey home. There was one bus travelled and a smattering of fans came via train and road; all this off field stuff with Johnston has really affected our support, which is probably why more than half our average home crowd has signed the petition for him to resign already.

Nov 1st 2016... We had one good result last week, and one not so good. The midweek game against Hearts was one of the best performances we’ve seen from a Lee Clark side and the fans were raving about it…which set us up nicely for a fall against Glasgow’s newest team. I am not going to go off the deep end about how bad we were at Ibrox; similarly, I didn’t go wild about the midweek win. We have to find some middle ground, in terms of the team’s consistency, and the fans expectations. We shouldn’t want Lee to get the keys to the town for a couple of good results, equally we shouldn’t want him removed when things are not so good, he has a lot to deal with and many before him failed to cope with a basket case board. It seems some of the media are finally waking up to our club being slowly killed, not before time. There is talk of a season ticket boycott for next term if MJ is not gone by the end of the year, its not something anyone wants to do but it could be the last throw of the dice if we ever want him gone and the club to be saved; if someone organises this this properly they can have my £300 right now, not just a pledge.

Nov 8th 2016... The most important thing on Saturday was getting back on track after a good run of results and then a bad defeat. A draw with boring time-wasters Hamilton, in hindsight, was probably a fair result, although we could have just shaded it. We did get a clean sheet despite losing Tank Addison early doors, Burn deputised well although he was a wee bit late for Halloween with that mask! These international breaks are becoming a real pain when it comes to putting a run together. The Trust AGM was due to take place on a Tuesday at the end of the month but they have moved it forward to Saturday 26th November as the match at Aberdeen has now been moved. You can join or reactivate your membership on the day, every Killie fan should be a member of the Trust so they can have a say in how our club is run. The meeting will be in the big hall at the back of the Crown and the KFCSA will meet immediately after to propose changes to their constitution. Following that will be an opportunity to talk about the current situation at the club and have a look at the viability of any protests or boycotts which would seem to be the way things are shaping up. One thing is for sure...be there if you care...and lets show a unified front moving forward.

Nov 15th 2016... Championship winning side ever-present Eric Murray sadly passed away last week and the funeral is at 10am on Thursday at Dreghorn. Eric was well respected and well liked in the Killie community and will be sadly missed, the condolences of all our fans go to his family and friends. The sadness continued with a service at Rugby Park on Sunday as wreaths were left at the memorial plaque at the main entrance of the stadium. The club, the Killie Trust and the KFCSA were all represented and club chaplain Jim McNay was on hand to say a few words. The Association announced that they would be having an SGM immediately following the Trust’s AGM at the Crown Inn on Saturday 26th November at 12:30pm. They have posted proposed changes to their constitution on the website at kfcsa.KillieFC.com/ and hope that as many fans as possible will attend.

Nov 22nd 2016... A team that cost as much to put together as Celtic should really have blown us away on Friday, but they didn’t. It was a real fighting performance from our younger players and if we had carried a bit more firepower in the final third the game was there for the taking. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, but it should increase the player’s confidence going into the new game which, as the Aberdeen game has been moved, is another two weeks away again. This Saturday is still important to Killie fans as the Trust AGM and a Supporters’ Association SGM (to change their constitution) is in the Crown Inn from 12:30pm on. Fans have been crying out for a Grand-Hall-type meeting and this is surely it. Invites have also been sent out to directors Bowie and Kiltie to let us know where they stand. If you can make it and you care, you have to be there.

Nov 29th 2016... The Killie Trust AGM on Saturday went well with the members agreeing that the ‘Trust in Killie’ initiative was the way forward and that they should push for all Killie fans to become members prior to its launch. The KFCSA meeting followed, and they passed their new constitution, which will allow them to step up their bid to see Michael Johnston removed from the board, whilst still actively supporting the team. Things were rounded off with a Q&A with former Club and now Killie Trust Director Russel Smith, then a discussion of all things protest. Mentioned were vocal protests at the 18th and 69th minutes in all games; presentation of the petition; a post-match protest this Saturday; boycotting the snack bars and tellingly they are looking into opening an escrow account to hold season ticket money for next year. More details and statements by both organisations can be found on KillieFC.com.

Dec 6th 2016... There seems to be a theme here, protest planned, ex-chairman doesn’t turn up, Killie win. Coincidence? I think not! Great to see that the players are equally not affected by the protest chants, we scored a couple of minutes after the first one and actually during the second one…I recall something similar happened at the red car protest! The back four are looking more solid than at any point in the rest of the season and I hope that we are making moves to keep Hendrie at the very least. Credit also to Boyle and Boyd in the middle and I have to say I prefer Taylor at left back to the captain. I can see there being a lot of departures in January now that Lee has had a good chance to determine who fits his plans; there is one departure though that would give the whole place a lift…let’s keep up the protests and do what we can to make that happen.

Dec 13th 2016... There is nothing positive I can say about the trip to Aberdeen. Baa’d place to have to travel to midweek, baa’d weather, baa’d result…sorry, had to be done. I may have jinxed us talking about how solid our defence was becoming last week, so I was grateful that we managed to get another clean sheet come the Saturday. Let’s be honest and say it was not a goalless draw that flattered anyone, the statistics show that we both had plenty of shots but in this case that never made it much of a spectacle. Both teams struggled to put anything cohesive together and the point each earned was for trying to bore the other side into submission. Bet you can’t wait until next week now! Ironically I think we could be in for a good game, our home form is improving and Inverness won’t sit in. Let MJ have it on the 18th and 69th minutes and get right behind Lee’s boys for the rest.

Dec 20th 2016... So much for Inverness not sitting in, they sat just about everywhere, usually for no reason at all. The referee not only let them off with it, he booked our players instead! It was a frustrating game all round and not helped by the opposition or the man in black, but mainly it was our lack of creativity from midfield areas that cost us a couple of points in the end. Coulibaly scored another goal out of the top drawer and that, as they say, should have been that. But we gave them a complete free header to equalise and you just can’t do that and still win games. Despite that defensive lapse it was an impressive showing from young midfielder Wilson, drafted in at centre half. Clark played a blinder switching Jones and Couli for the goal, maybe bringing Frizzell on as well would have been a good option?

Dec 27th 2016... As I write this I am sitting on the Irvine Valley reunion bus on the way to Tynecastle, I think this is known as a last minute submission. Last week was another one of those days, we could have played all day and not scored. St Johnstone were no great shakes either but they got a lucky break at a corner and duly dispatched it into the net, which sadly wasn't something we were going to do. In my humble opinion our big problem seems to be a lack of creativity in midfield, we really miss young Kiltie. When Dicker plays we tend to do okay, but when he's out of sorts we struggle, and I'm not sure that being partnered with Smith helps him. I'm also in favour of Coulibaly being moved into the middle and Tyson with his pace going wide right, if we are sticking with Clark's favoured formation. Hope you all had a good Christmas, and let's hope for a Killie New Year.
*The column has gone to press now and we've since been well and truly gubbed by Hearts, there is no other way to look at it. Over 700 Killie fans travelled to sell out the away end, such a shame the players never turned up. The Partick game is now pretty important if we want to stay in the pack, using players out of position is not working for us, we better hope that Hendrie comes back for a kick off!

Jan 3rd 2017... When the team lines were released on Saturday I could not have been the only person to have a WTF moment. Our one fit centre-half on the bench and two defensive midfielders (Dicker and Wilson) charged with the task of stopping Doolan getting his customary goal, someone was having a laugh, no? The irony that we kept a clean sheet after that towsing at Tynecastle will not be lost on anyone. I have to give credit to the players for the effort they expended in what must have been a difficult game in more ways than one, the weather was atrocious for starters. But, they stuck to whatever game plan Lee Clark had devised and won an acceptable point away from home. We have apparently asked to loan three Newcastle second string players after the break, we certainly need the midfield boosted but a defender or two wouldn’t go wrong!

Jan 10th 2017... Killie Hippo Killie enter 2017 in a precarious 10th place facing the stark reality that another relegation battle could be on the cards. We ended 2016 with a goalless draw at Firhill, a decent point considering the inexperience of our makeshift defence. The jury is still out on manager Lee Clark and you get the feeling that his wheeling and dealing in this window will be crucial both for the club and for the manager. The mass clear out in the summer was probably needed however the majority of the new faces who arrived have failed to shine. There is no doubt we have been unlucky with injuries but we need to shore up that leaky defence whilst introducing some creativity in midfield. I'm staying positive for now but we need to get out the blocks quickly when the winter break ends.

Jan 17th 2017... It looks like there is going to be an organised season ticket boycott next term as the Supporters’ Association ramp up their campaign to get Michael Johnston off the Club Board. We are fast running out of time to turn things around and I would urge all Killie fans to seriously consider what the fan’s group have to say in the coming weeks. No one wants to deprive the club of money but if you pay in game by game then over the piece you will actually contribute more; and with any luck the situation could be resolved before the season starts. So, the more we stand together on this the better chance there is of things getting back the way they should be, and efforts concentrated on repairing the damage already done. What is ultimately more important…keeping your seat at Rugby Park or having our football club to support?

Jan 24th 2017... Back at the start of the season when we made an early exit from the League Cup and it was put down to fielding too many new players. I never thought we’d be experiencing the same sixth months later! Individually the new players looked decent enough, but as a team we didn’t offer much going forward and that has to be rectified soon. I don’t like the idea of our best player from recent seasons being benched unless he is being transferred, and I don’t fancy losing McDonald with no permanent replacement signed. I also don’t see why we are not starting our top goalscorer, in his proper position, and utilising the blank firing Tyson’s pace down the wing instead…but what do I know? On Sunday the youth team showed a bit more cup fight in their quarter final against the Yahoos. The first half was forgettable, derby nerves let’s say, the second half made the weekend. McLean scored a bullet header, they equalised straight away. McLean scores a penalty, Wilson yellow carded and they score one back. Wilson then red carded, another penalty, McKay saves it, extra time. Ten man Killie lose a goal early, but a Whittaker brace in the closing minutes wins it for Ayrshire’s finest. WFAANW

Jan 31st 2017... There were many Killie fans wandering around the town on Saturday night unsure as what to do with themselves, we have almost forgot what it is like to celebrate a win! Boomer set yet another top division record with a ten second fastest ever goal, and almost immediately it all started going Pete Tong. Osborne was unfairly booked, got a dunt to the head and then lost the plot a bit, so he got substituted early doors. As it turns out that was a good decision by the gaffer but we could have done without the ironic cheering when the lad walked off. With Dicker deputising well in defence, and Ajer showing his value, we turned the match around and thoroughly deserved the last gasp winner. Credit also to Wilson, although his correct decision to retain possession and pass the ball back didn’t go down too well with some. A word to the wise, you keep the ball, you’re in control.

Feb 7th 2017... While a substitution won us three points against Ross County, it may have cost us a couple at Hamilton. We started off well with Lobby (as Longstaff has been named) scoring yet again to put us ahead and we controlled the game for over half an hour, but when Smith went off injured the tables were turned. In my opinion the right move to make at that point was to bring on Scott Boyd and move Dicker back into midfield to give us more steel in there, but instead Clark opted for Hawkshaw as a direct replacement. As much as I like the wee man I don’t think it was a good move as the midfield started to get overrun at that point and it was no surprise when the Accies equalised. We could have nicked it in the end but a draw was probably a fair result and I’ll take a point away from home any day.

Feb 14th 2017... In a change from the norm Clark started with two up front for the rescheduled fixture at Dens Park with Boyd and Sammon getting the nod. Boomer was fastest out of the blocks again for us with a fortunate dink around the keeper and by all accounts we appeared to be the stronger team. Sadly, an uncharacteristic mistake by our young loan goalie who wandered off his line, cost us a goal and two points as we replicated last week’s result away to Accies. I didn’t actually make the game due to a prior engagement but I am not going to moan about it being moved as it is just your luck, and to be honest I think there is credit due to both clubs in moving the match to a Saturday; likewise for moving the upcoming Motherwell match from midweek to the weekend.

Feb 21st 2017... Another week, another manager! Farewell Lee Clark and good luck to Lee McCulloch who has taken the job in the interim. It is easy to look back and say that substitutions on Sunday cost us the game, but on paper replacing your injured defensive midfielder with an even better one and bringing a solid centre back in to shore up the defence to close out the game didn’t seem that nuts. The game of course is not played on paper and it turned out that the defender wasn’t so solid and changing the back four was a mistake, such is life, you take your punishment and move on. Technically, given the thrashing they gave Motherwell only days previous, it wasn’t the hammering many predicted, but that didn’t dampen the rage at the end of the game. Controversially I think that Woodman was partly to blame for their first goal, he should have moved to the ball and given a shout, that said, there was no shout so Addison should have blootered it out of the park immediately, sorry Tank, that one’s ultimately on you.

Feb 28th 2017... Lessons were learned from last week’s narrow defeat and we started the game with what looked to me to be our best XI (minus Kiltie) I have seen all season. Some sublime vision from McKenzie and a great cross from Taylor feeding the Fish saw all three points come home to Ayrshire…but it was a real team performance and a well-deserved win. This if course starts the call from some corners for Lee McCulloch to be named boss straight away, before someone else comes in and nabs him, and some saying the opposite, because of his associations with that new team from Glasgow. I’m definitely sitting on the fence on this one. I think he more than deserves the chance, but there should be caution on both sides as there is no need to rush an appointment. Lee (and Peter) has already shown loyalty to the club, maybe he needs to have a long think about whether he wants his first full time managerial gig having the pariah as his boss!

Mar 7th 2017... Lee showed some consistency in not changing his starting line-up this week, and I’m going to show some by reiterating my belief that we should give him until the end of the season and only then make a decision on whether it suits him and suits us. We were slow out of the blocks on Saturday but as soon as we started playing the ball on the deck we were all over Motherwell and should have been three ahead going into the break. The opposition shuffled the pack at the interval though and we never reacted which turned the game, and the score line, in their favour. Although Boomer consolidated his credentials with his 200th top flight goal, I’d have replaced him earlier just to give them something different to think about. Hindsight of course is a great thing, maybe next time the sun makes an appearance Woodman will wear a bunnet!

Mar 14th 2017... We headed to Dingwall on Saturday without the influential Dicker and McKenzie due to suspensions, so we started with a bit of a makeshift team. That said, Lee did try to replace like for like by drafting in Wilson and Roberts. It was our turn to don the Dick Turpin masks though and send our far-travelled fans home delighted to have weathered the storm and snatched a late unexpected winner. It was veteran Boomer who delivered the goods again breaking more records in the process, it’s almost a weekly occurrence now! Kris is the only player to have scored 100 league goals with two teams, although one of them no longer exists. It was a great result. Not so great was the U20’s getting knocked out in their cup semi-final on Sunday. It was 1-1 at the end of normal time but an offside goal for Rangers in extra time knocked the stuffing out of them and there was to be no way back. Excellent effort but sadly no reward.

Mar 21st 2017... For half an hour against the Jags it looked like we were going to give them a real doing, then we just seemed to cave. The players went about their business with a real sense of purpose in the early stages of the game but when nothing came off we started punting high balls to a forlorn Boomer, and you know when that happens its normally goodnight Vienna. Longstaff was being pushed off the ball too easily and big Conor literally looked like a fish out of water at times, we were not at the races and heading for certain defeat with a matter of minutes to go. Credit to the players though for not giving up when most of us had. A speculative effort by the floundering Sammon was helped into the net by Cerny in the Thistle goal and suddenly it was payback time again for the many times we’ve been robbed. The fans rallied after we lost the goal, the players responded albeit we were more lucky than good, still, more vocal support wouldn’t go wrong. Also nice to see us having first choice full backs for a change. Hendrie and Taylor are now first picks in everyone's "Boss" teams, despite both formerly plying their trade in midfield.

Mar 28th 2017... We have a tough few weeks ahead of us with Inverness away, a couple of teams from Glasgow and then Hearts at home on Good Friday. Celtic Park has never been a happy hunting ground for us, but the SPFL title could be theirs by then, which may affect their concentration, and there is no reason we can’t get points off the other three teams mentioned. The good ship Killie at last seems to have steadied a wee bit, not before time, but it will be difficult to carry any kind of stability forward with so many players leaving again in the summer. McCulloch, or whoever is in charge at that point, will have to rebuild the squad once again. The Trust, with the support of the club, will be launching its ‘Trust in Killie’ initiative on the Friday night in the Sports Bar before the match, with a special event planned for the next day at Rugby Park, stay tuned for more details.

April 4th 2017... You should know by now what I always say about a point away from home, so I won’t repeat myself other than to say we should probably be happier about it than Inverness will be. We started well and Boomer did what Boomer does, then Killie did what Killie does, and failed to maintain a lead. As so often proves to be the case when we venture north, it was a better day out than football match, as both teams failed to impress in what turned out to be a bang-average kick about. One bright spot for the away support was the re-introduction of Greg Kiltie in the second half, and instantly we looked to have more creativity emanating from midfield, no offence to Rory whom he replaced, he has talent as well, just in other areas. I am wary of heaping too much expectation onto the returning player. We know he has the ability, but there are probably not enough games left for him to get into top gear.

April 11th 2017... Well that’s the double header against the Glasgow teams out of the way and I can’t say it’s a bad thing not having to listen to their ‘party tunes’ for a while, seeing as we have now been consigned to the bottom six. Maybe we should find out from the SPFL how they miraculously manage never to hear any sectarian singing and employ the same method? The midweek game against Glasgow’s new boys was a bit disappointing as they managed to hang on for a draw, that will have given them a morale boost for their trip to Aberdeen. Our trip to Celtic Park though was never going to be easy, to the extent that Lee rested Kiltie and Boyd for the Hearts game on Friday. We still gave them a fright with an equaliser but ultimately battling, and losing, was no disgrace. Don’t forget the ‘Trust in Killie’ Initiative launch in the Sports Bar from 6:30pm on Friday (14th), this is the start of a new era at the club and it’s time for the fans to rally and be counted.

April 18th 2017... Control. Such an important factor in all things football and it seems to be something that we sorely lack. The Trust in Killie initiative launch went well on Friday night. That is about having control of our own future and safeguarding the club for generations to come. On the park, it seems to have given way for power and athleticism and it is frustrating to watch at times. Let’s be honest, despite another clean sheet and a point against a top six team, Friday’s draw with Hearts was devoid of skill or excitement. Watching countless players either lumping the ball up the park or running straight at the opposition until such times as someone steps in and takes the ball off them or they crash straight into them is a wee bit tedious. Both teams were guilty of this, both teams failed to score with us failing to get a single shot on target. Still, we have a young team, they are still learning, let’s keep our moaning to the forums and get behind them on match days.

April 25th 2017... The Trust in Killie initiative launch went well last week, we will see at the end of the month when the first payments come off just how well. Make no mistake, this is the most important thing to happen at the club since the stadium debentures back in Fleeting’s day and its success will be a barometer for just how much the fans want to help turn things around. Fifteen or twenty-five quid a month is not a fortune when you look at how little it can buy you these days, but it is still a lot to some families and as far as priorities go we understand that family should always come first. If it’s not something you can get involved with at the moment, then you can still do your bit by joining the Trust and sharing and liking all the TIK related stuff on social media. I weighed up my options and decided to cancel Sky and sign up for TIK instead, and if you tell them you are cancelling because they crapped all over Scottish football they won’t keep bothering you either!

May 2nd 2017... I don’t know exactly how often we hear in the media about how ‘bad’ our support is, but it is all too frequent. Hamilton reported that we had just under half of the 2,482 attendance, but in all honesty, when you consider that there were many Killie fans in the main stand as well, there were probably more of us than them; which merited not one mention. The fantastic support was rewarded with a goal from a cool corner, the fish putting another one in the net, and notice was posted that we now have the ability to win ugly…possibly for the first time since Stevie Fulton retired. Dicker was outstanding in a resolute defence as both he and Freddie Fingers pulled out all the stops to ensure a clean sheet, leaving us a whisker from guaranteed safety. We should really try and clone the Irishman, because he’s sorely missed in the midfield when he’s deputising at the back! I'm delighted to see him extend his contract.

May 9th 2017...  If there is a hard way to do anything, Killie will find it! All we needed was one goal on Saturday and that would have given us a point that would see us out of reach from the play-off spot…but no, it wasn’t to be. As it now stands there is a 26% chance that we could still have to go through the same nerve-racking end we endured last season. I hate statistics, especially when there are negative connotations. Dundee just looked more up for the game from the outset and despite a high number of shots on goal as we tried to get back into the game, we were woeful in midfield and toothless up front. Some of our most consistent players were having an off day and nothing big Lee changed seemed to make any difference. Woodman is now offski but a note to the rest of the players…there are three games to go…you are not on holiday yet. The club AGM is this Wednesday and despite it being massively late yet again, we are still not safe, we still have no manager and we still have no Chairman. Despite this, as circumstance would have it, I see the ‘board’ getting an easy ride as per usual. To be fair to Billy Bowie and John Kiltie, things seem to have improved since Johnston has taken a back seat in recent months, surely though that is an indication for them as to the direction the club could be going in if the company secretary were to depart the board completely? The club and the fans have been sleepwalking through the latter part of this season and complacency on both fronts could spell trouble for the mighty. We have to waken from this stupor and start making hard decisions which will hopefully build on any opportunities we can create for ourselves. Join the Trust, contribute to the ‘Trust In Killie’ initiative if you can…the club can’t do this alone.

May 16th 2017... and relax. It has been a while since we have been able to do that, especially with games still to go at the end of the season. It is probably not a good sign that the only thing we have to celebrate these days are getting meaningless end of season fixtures, which we are repeatedly told we hate! That said, I don’t want to say anything which could be construed as negative as that could send some über fans off the deep end. Instead I will congratulate both Lees and the sixty odd players who have pulled off what almost every pundit predicted at the start of the season we wouldn’t do…and avoid relegation for the 25th year in a row. Shame on them. Do they know who we are? Given we do not have our troubles to seek its high fives all round to the management and players…well the hell done…and that’s not a prediction for Tuesday’s match hopefully!

May 23rd 2017... What an end to the season, I don’t know where to start! We lost midweek at Motherwell, we hammered them in the first half despite losing an early goal and the full back up against Jones was subbed before he burst into tears, but they made changes and we failed to react. We lost at home, again, this time to Ross County so we finished the season in eighth place just behind them. I’d have taken that at the start of the season so well done all concerned. There was terrible news on the injury front as top talent Greg Kiltie was stretchered off at half time and we await the results of scans to see just how long he will be out this time, get well soon wee man. Gary Dicker won the KillieFC.com player of the year award - just for most appearances in the match report and season diary adverts! Exciting stuff as J2 nearly caught him on the last day but lost out by just a point. Four Killie players were named in Scott Gemmill's squad for the Toulon Tournament, yes FOUR, only Celtic had as many which, along with being the only club from the UK in the top 100 lowest (#28) average age first teams in Europe, makes Gordon Parks' article about us at the start of the season laughable. The KFCSA/Killie Trust/Young Kilmarnock dance in the Grand Hall to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of our Scottish Cup win was a sell out and attended by most of the team including manager Bobby Williamson, who flew in from Kenya. Top night, well organised, enjoyed by all. Last but not least we had the resignation of Michael Johnston. It is sad how it transpired, but I hope we can all eventually look forward to happier times. Now get out there and buy your season tickets…I want to see you all back next season!

May 30th 2017... The season is well and truly over for us but the football continues with cup finals at all levels and internationals on the horizon. I may or may not continue the season diary until such times as it is due back in the Scotsman, but if I miss a few here and there I don’t think anyone will mind…be warned, no 140-word restriction on rambling! I was in to purchase my new season ticket the other day and the ladies in the shop tell me that they are going like proverbial hotcakes with many ‘new’ purchasers and many whom have returned from their self-imposed exile. That’s great news, but it will take a long time to undo what has been done to our club and let’s not kid ourselves on that we will start getting massive crowds any time soon. A manager would be nice though, and a chairman. We do however have a new CEO as ex-club secretary Kirsten Callaghan steps into the breach once more…a great Killie fan and I wish her all the best. Looking at the board room situation I can’t help but think that we could be doing with a Director of Football type person in there, quickly, so we can be on our toes for next season. What we need is leadership and someone with some gravitas and football knowledge that can help the directors and the fans during this transitional period. John Kiltie has intimated to the KFCSA that there could possibly be another appointment announced in the near future, but not who it is or what they are doing, I really hope they have nailed it because getting the right person on board is crucial. Go get your season tickets if you haven’t already, and join the Trust and subscribe to the “Trust in Killie” initiative…I’m in!