Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock supporters, how concerned are you after defeat at Dundee sent your side back to the foot of the Scottish Premiership?

Read the full match report here

Have your say on the game via this link

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Fan favourite Aaron Tshibola wants to lead by example as Kilmarnock strive for consistency this season.

With one match remaining in the first round of fixtures Killie are second bottom of the Premiership with eight points before tonight's trip to face Dundee.

London-born midfielder Tshibola signed for a fifth stint at Rugby Park after the World Cup in which he was a member of the DR Congo squad.

Having first joined on loan from Aston Villa when Steve Clarke was Killie manager in 2018, the 31-year-old finds himself as one of the senior figures at Rugby Park.

He said: "It's a challenge in itself, it's a difficult role. When I was a lot younger, I had peers who were tremendous at the club.

"Now, it's obviously on myself to pick up a bit more of a leadership role, having been here for such a long time. I want to pass down my experience and try to lead by example on and off the pitch to help the younger players."

Tshibola reckons Killie have what it takes to climb the table and pull away from the relegation zone.

"We've shown what we're capable of doing. We just need to find that continuity and consistency," he said.

"I definitely believe in the group of players and the staff that we have. I see what we do every single day on the training park.

"You don't win games if you're conceding goals and it's something we're definitely working on, tightening up as a team. We will correct our wrongs."

• Dundee have only lost one of their past eight home league matches (W5 D2), a 2-1 defeat to Hibs in August.

• Kilmarnock have only won one of their past nine league games played on a Wednesday (D2 L6), beating St Mirren 4-3 in February last season.

• Joe Hugill has scored three goals in his two Scottish Premiership appearances against Dundee for Kilmarnock, although both games were at home.

• Dundee have won both of their past two home league games against Kilmarnock, this comes after only winning one of their previous 15 in the top flight at Dens Park against the Ayrshire side beforehand (D10 L4).

• After their 3-1 win in May, Kilmarnock could win back-to-back Scottish Premiership matches against Dundee for the first time since December 2018 (3 in a row).

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Dundee could have Joe Westley back in contention but Bobby Wales (ankle), Simon Murray, Finlay Robertson and Jack Moorhouse (all ACL) are still out.

Kilmarnock have several doubts including Aaron Tshibola while Bailey Rice and Johnly Yfeko remain out.

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Neil McCann has been speaking to the media as Kilmarnock prepare to visit Dundee on Wednesday night (19:45 GMT).

Here are the key points:

• McCann believes last Saturday's Falkirk defeat was not a "big setback" but "a disappointment", saying: "Clearly I'm unhappy about the result and probably elements of the performance, but having watched the whole of the weekend's sport, I think every team suffered with the conditions."

• Killie have the worst defensive record in the Premiership, leading McCann to "put a few dents in my plasterboard with my head" over the goals they are conceding.

• Dundee are a "well coached" team under Steven Pressley and McCann wants his side to be better at the "ugly side" of the game.

• He adds: "I'm very honest in what we need to do better. You don't want to lose two, three, four goals. You've just got to find a way of making sure you don't lose the game. If you can pull it all together then you'll get a really dangerous side in your hands. But we're not quite there yet. Everybody's still searching for the perfect performance."

• After Dundee it will be time to take stock on the first round of fixtures: "As a staff we have to, but I think more importantly it's for the team, for all the new players coming to either the country or the club, is understanding how the opposition have played."

• On summer signings who haven't featured much, such as Mark O'Hara, McCann says: "They've come into a team that's played in a certain way and they've come in and tried to adapt. And when you're trying to find form and wins, its difficult. It's a long season, we're not signing them for a quick spurt of 10 or 11 games, we've signed them for the whole season."

• Injury update: "We've got a couple of issues, one or two, but we'll be ready to go tomorrow."

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

Another unacceptable defeat for Killie at Falkirk and once again we lose three very soft goals.

There's no doubt that if we continue to ship goals at this rate we will be back in the Championship next season.

Many moons ago when I was a pup, full-backs were told to block crosses. I've no idea when we last blocked a cross. We simply don't have players with the will to put their bodies on the line and opposition managers are taking advantage of that.

Our manager, Neil McCann, slowly appears to be losing the dressing room and we have a massive week in which we travel to Dundee then host St Johnstone.

Credit to the fans who travelled to Falkirk in horrendous conditions and will trudge up to Dundee on Wednesday.

The manager badly needs points from these next two games or once again we may be heading for a new face in the dugout.

Constant changes are not healthy and for McCann's sake I hope we turn things round on Wednesday.

We may see a few personnel changes to freshen up the team and I hope they inject some badly-needed quality and leadership.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

Sportscene's Steven Thompson and James McFadden review Kilmarnock's performance in Saturday's 3-0 defeat by Falkirk (UK only).

Two Kilmarnock players score own goals as Falkirk triumph in the Scottish Premiership (UK only).

Kilmarnock fans, we asked for your views after Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Falkirk.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Eddie: Yet another poor performance all over the pitch. Too many short passes, happens every match. Neil McCann's sticking plaster is hanging off again.

Wolfgang: Saying Killie "didn't do the basics right" would normally suggest bad day at the office, but given our track record it speaks more volumes on coaching and management style.

Harry: Terrible result. John McGlynn knows exactly how to play against us. That's 11 goals conceded against them in three visits there. They are a much tighter unit than we are and physically stronger. We need to get much tougher and much tighter or else it's relegation. Far too many goals conceded.

Robert: Kilmarnock either need a new defensive coach or to remove McCann, who has no defensive sense. More goals conceded as gifts, unfortunately our strikers couldn't hit a barn door.

Matt: Terrible performance. Conditions not great but Falkirk dealt with it. The back four are terrible, reinforcements needed. Not sure the two strikers work, maybe time to put an extra body in the middle of the pitch. Worrying times and no faith in the management.

Stephen: I've been as patient as I can be. It's a total shambles. I could go on and on about our season to date. We need to change our management team asap. As a team we are lost. Time to go.

Jacob Murrell scored again and Falkirk were the beneficiaries of two own goals in defeating Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.

MATCH REPORT

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Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann: "Just a horrible game of football. Conditions were shocking to try and play in. The surface obviously doesn't make that any easier.

"Falkirk just did the basics right today. They did them better than us and that's why they're really happy, I'd imagine, with a three points.

"We got probably guilty and caught up in trying to get the ball down continually. It wasn't for that. Basic football was required today. We had to do the ugly things right today and unfortunately we didn't."

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Falkirk are likely to remain without Aodhan Doherty (foot), Joe Gardner (thigh), Keelan Adams and Ethan Laidlaw (both ankle).

Kilmarnock goalkeeper Max Stryjek is out long term with a knee injury, while Bailey Rice has a groin problem and Neil McCann has several unnamed doubts.

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Jamie Brandon has stressed the importance of building on Kilmarnock's second Premiership win of the season when they travel to Falkirk on Saturday.

Killie's 3-2 victory over Motherwell at Rugby Park last weekend took Neil McCann's side off the bottom of the table by one point, their place taken by Hibernian, who lost at home to the Bairns.

Brandon knows the importance of using that welcome win as a platform.

The 28-year-old defender said: "I think we've been performing well throughout this season and maybe not getting the results we feel we deserved.

"With wins comes confidence, we obviously got that win at Easter Road (1-0) as well which I think was massive.

"So I think we're starting to go in the right direction. It has to be (backing that up). It's always about the next game and trying to get three points from that.

"It will be a difficult game. Falkirk are a good team, they have showed this season that they have a variety to their play as well, where they can play different styles.

"Against Hibs, they sat deeper and hit on the break. They are a good team so we expect it to be a difficult game."

Brandon took over from injured MJ Kamson-Kamara after just 33 minutes against Killie and hopes to have done enough to keep his place.

The former Hearts and Livingston player said: "Like any footballer you want to play every game, you want to start every game.

"When you are watching the game you are paying attention to everything that is happening, looking at their weak points and strong points as well.

"I wasn't expecting to go on at 30 minutes, not many people do, but I was delighted when I came on and did well in the game.

"Everyone wants to play as many games as possible and it is another opportunity to go and put points on the board."

• Falkirk won all three of their Scottish Premiership games against Kilmarnock last season by an aggregate score of 9-2.

• Kilmarnock rank bottom of the 2026-27 Scottish Premiership for xG (10.1) and xGA (20.9).

• Only Rangers (10.1) have lower PPDA (opposition passes per defensive action) than Falkirk (11.4) in the Premiership this season, while the Bairns have made the joint-most high turnovers (77, level with Celtic and Rangers).

• Kilmarnock have won just one of their past eight top-flight matches against Falkirk (D3 L4), although that did come away from home in February 2010 (1-0).

• Falkirk have won two of their past four league games (D1 L1), as many as their previous 14 beforehand (W2 D3 L9). The Bairns could win successive matches in the Premiership for the first time since February.

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Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann says a refusal to panic is behind their recent upturn in form.

The Rugby Park outfit climbed off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership with a thrilling win against Motherwell on Saturday.

Killie have now lost only one of their past five league games after four straight losses to start the campaign.

"It's about making sure that you're giving everything that you possibly can," McCann said, before Saturday's trip to Falkirk.

"That's in possession and out of possession. And if for whatever reason it doesn't work out, the last thing you do is hit the panic button.

"It makes clouded decisions, it creates uncertainty, it creates bad decisions more often than not when you're starting to panic.

"I think that's probably one of the big things that came through loud and clear in the last couple of games in particular. Didn't panic.

"Three-nil down at Ibrox, kept to the plan, kept to what we've been working on, and we were sensational in the second half.

"Saturday, get pegged back to 1-1, 2-1 down, stayed calm, stuck to the plan. Trusted their game, and got their rewards.

"So yeah, it has to be a bit of that.

"There's going to need [to be] a bit of panic now and again in games when you are potentially not on the right side of the result and you need to take a few more risks than normal but look, I'm really pleased how they're starting to develop."

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

I suppose if you have two teams who struggle to defend you'll get goals and that's what happened on Saturday.

The game was wide open from the first minute until the last, although overall Killie just about deserved the win.

Neil McCann decided to keep a centre-back at right-back then quickly realised it wasn't advisable and made the early change.

Jamie Brandon coming on as well as Aaron Tshibola replacing Bailey Rice were the alterations that gave us control in the match and both were excellent.

Calum Ferrie played well and will feel a little perturbed at conceding twice as he made several decent stops.

The finishes for the three goals, from Greg Kiltie and Tyreece John-Jules, were superb and Joe Hugill didn't give the Motherwell backline a moment's peace.

It was a badly-needed three points and we now head up to Grangemouth with renewed confidence.

We were poor away to Falkirk last season, losing 3-1 and 5-1, so the players owe the loyal travelling fans a decent performance - I'll go for a 2-1 Killie victory.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann stressed new signing Nico Mantl has a fight for the goalkeeper's jersey after Calum Ferrie delivered a big performance in Saturday's 3-2 win over Motherwell. (The Herald), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish football gossip

The Sportscene team discuss how manager Neil McCann has steadied the ship at Kilmarnock after an alarming start to the campaign.

Watch Sportscene highlights of the weekend's top-flight action

Watch all the highlights as Kilmarnock moved off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership, and confined Motherwell to a fifth successive defeat with a victory at Rugby Park. Available to UK users only.

Kilmarnock fans, we asked for your views after Saturday's home win against Motherwell.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Adam: Unconvinced. Calamitous defending and looking vulnerable any time any team puts a ball into the box or lines up a shot. "We'll score four if you score three" may be chaotically entertaining but it's not sustainable

Frank: A long awaited home win, and not without some style. They changes the manager made all the difference. Jamie Brandon looks like he is back to his best. Lots of points available hopefully over the next few games.

Robert: Not perfect but brilliant to drive home with three points in the bag. You can see the confidence growing with several players getting back close to where they were at end of last season. Neil McCann was absolutely right to make the change at right back when he did, Brandon had best game and I really liked the young Welsh lad [Ieuan Owen] when he came on. Onwards and upwards.

Anna: A much better performance from the boys. They were solid at the back and kept creating chances to score. The substitutions were made at a time when we could make good use of them all, and not with minutes to go. I'd like to see them go to two up front again, but apart from that things aren't so bad. After a performance like this I'm hopeful for the rest of the season.

Doug: Killie are on the mend. Eight points from their last five games, when it includes visits to Pittodrie, Easter Road and Ibrox, is decent. Now they must take this form to Falkirk and Dundee and at least get something from both matches. Great to see Tyreece John-Jules looking like his old self again, Greg Kiltie leading by example and Brandon chipping in with a couple of assists.

Gary: Good to get the result but once again bad finishing and a lack of composure when it matters. If we took half our chances it would be top six with a plus goal difference. Need to give our new goalie a chance as I've got no faith in Calum Ferrie.