Pre Cup-Semi Wobbles


Kilmarnock deservedly defeated a lethargic Inverness who played with one eye on next weeks league cup semi-final. That's not to say we never created anything, Billy McKay squandered a hat-trick of chances himself, but proven striker Kris Boyd showed no mercy lashing home a second half goal to ensure the points stayed at Rugby Park. Lee Ashcroft glanced home a header in the first quarter to set Killie on their way as they ease themselves out of the play off position and Inverness stutter along in the top six for now.

Killie hit the woodwork twice and Brill made a couple of excellent stops but they did enough overall to make Russell Latapy's dugout debut one to forget, and this performance leaves the management duo plenty to ponder ahead of next weeks league cup semi-final against Hearts, who notched an impressive away win at Dingwall.

Let's hope there's not a touch of Deja Vu about this as we tumbled out of both cups last season and lost our way in the league momentarily, all within a week, and at exactly the same time of the season.

 From Scotsman

This was arguably Killies best display of the season. While they were less impressive in the second half than they had been in the first, goals by Lee Ashcroft and Kris Boyd gave them a deserved victory that lifts them to eighth in the Premiership.

Boyd’s 13th of the season comes amid speculation that Blackpool, now managed on a caretaker basis by Barry Ferguson, are keen to sign him. “We cannot afford to lose somebody like Boydie,” said Allan Johnston, the Kilmarnock manager. “It’s as simple as that. He is too big a player for us.”

Kilmarnock, in fact, were on the front foot from the moment Muirhead’s early shot, which took the slightest of deflections, forced Dean Brill to save with a low dive. No sooner had that danger been averted than Boyd was exchanging passes with Rory McKenzie and thumping a left-foot effort straight at the goalkeeper.

The breakthrough arrived after only 16 minutes, courtesy of a devilish free kick. Sammy Clingan’s inswinger from the left, expertly slid behind the visitors’ back four, enabled Ashcroft to steal in and direct a glancing header into the far corner of the net.

With a little luck, Kilmarnock might have added to their lead before the interval. Boyd blazed high and wide after another clever one-two with McKenzie. Then, when Clingan’s free kick from deep was headed back across goal, Muirhead sliced a left-foot volley against the post.

Inverness were making little headway, save for the odd long-range effort and a foray into the box by Liam Polworth. After he had beaten two men and flicked his cross along the edge of the six-yard area, Billy McKay couldn’t get enough on the header, which drifted wide.

In the early part of the second half, Inverness were stronger in possession and quicker with their passing, although it was a defensive mix-up that almost gave them an equaliser. When a pair of Kilmarnock defenders contrived to let McKay loose on a bouncing ball, the Inverness striker found himself with only Craig Samson to beat, but he tried to chip it in with the outside of his boot, but the goalkeeper reached high enough to block.

It proved to be a crucial miss. Just when Kilmarnock needed an old hand to steady them, Boyd obliged with a goal that allowed them to breathe easy. When Muirhead stroked the ball into his path, the striker executed a crisp finish from 16 yards.

As the game stretched, Boyd might have grabbed another. This time it was McKenzie who set him up, but the striker’s left foot proved to be less effective than his right. From the same position he had scored, he fluffed it wide.

As Inverness grew desperate, a shot by Graeme Shinnie dropped onto the roof of the net, and McKay’s close-range effort was cleared off the line, but in the end, they left Ayrshire with no less than they deserved.

Date: 25.01.2014 Venue: Rugby Park, Kilmarnock Attendance: 3035
Referee: Willie Collum
 
Kilmarnock: 2
Lineup: Samson, Irvine, Pascali, Ashcroft, Tesselaar, Clingan, Slater, Kiltie, Muirhead, McKenzie, Boyd.
Subs (not used): Reguero, Maksimenko, Nicholson, Johnston, Gros, Clohessy, Gardyne
Scorers: Ashcroft (16), Boyd (74)
Booked: none
Sent Off: none

Inverness CT: 0
Lineup: Brill, Raven (Draper 77), Meekings (Devine 68), Warren, Tremarco, Shinnie, Doran, Polworth, Williams, Ross (Watkins 69), McKay
Subs (not used): Esson, Tansey, Vincent, Christie
Scorers: none
Booked: none
Sent Off: none