Alan Cochrane @ St Mirren Stadium
After the long spell of bitterly cold weather here in the West of Scotland, a surprisingly perfect looking lush green pitch under a cloudless blue sky welcomed the large Killie travelling support to St Mirren Stadium in Paisley.
Despite the good conditions though, neither team could establish any control, as both mid-fields battled through the first 45 minutes, and neither goalkeeper was seriously troubled. St Mirren probably had the majority of the possession, and Brown had to be alert to see off a couple of good Dorman corners that hung menacingly below the visitors' cross bar, and touch a Dorman shot onto the post, while at the other end Gallagher fell gratefully on a Hamill shot after he had been released by a smart Sammon through ball.
Throughout the first half, Wright was a tower of strength at the back, and Craig Bryson worked tirelessly in the middle, but Connor Sammon kept taking the wrong options up front, as Fernandez and Invincibile tried to create opportunities for the big striker. He did use his speed well, and troubled the Saints' defence when out wide, but seldom looked dangerous close to goal.
The second half started the same way, but with fewer shots at goal. Both teams had little attacking flurries, but with not much created in the way of genuine chances. With 20 minutes left, the noise level and expectation was ratcheted up when Kevin Kyle came on for Connor Sammon, but it was St Mirren who seized the initiative. With 10 minutes left, Dorman sent over another good corner, and ex-Killie man Chris Innes met it with a towering header to crash the ball past Mark Brown, giving the keeper no chance.
Before the end, Killie threw some high balls into the Saints' box, and Mehdi Taouil had a shot cleared off the line. To rub salt in the wound, it was Chris Innes who cleared it. So it was St Mirren who took all three points in what was always a bottom of the table dog fight, and Killie were left to rue another lost opportunity.
At the end, Kevin Kyle said that the blame for the current situation had to be shared by the whole team, and with some descriptive language, suggested it was now time for the whole team to sort that out. The sooner the better, Kevin.
Kilmarnock: Brown, Fowler, Wright, Bryson, Pascali, Invincibile, Skelton, O'Leary, Sammon (Kyle), Fernandez (Taouil), Hamill
Referee: Alan Muir
