WHILE most people enjoyed a day off work on Easter Monday — including the Killie playing staff — there was let up for manager Jim Jefferies, assistant Billy Brown, chief scout John Harvey and youth coach Alan Robertson.
Said Jefferies: “It was an ideal opportunity to take in a few games in England and have a closer look at one or two players.”
The manager travelled south on Monday in a contented mood after watching his side turn in one of the best displays of the season, and reckons that now the threat of relegation has been removed, his players are playing with a lot more confidence.
“A fair bit of pressure has been lifted off their shoulders now that the Gretna situation has been settled,” he said, “and I think was reflected in their play against Inverness.
“That was our third successive win at Rugby Park and was a great boost to us. Once the third goal went in their confidence soared, and everyone could see that.”
Now the target is to leapfrog Thistle and climb into ninth spot, and a win against Falkirk this Saturday would go a long way to achieving that.
Under John Hughes, the Bairns have had a terrific season, and if they manage to win against Killie then that would almost certainly guarantee them a top six finish in the SPL.
But Jefferies, up against one of his former sides, reckons that there will be more pressure on the home side.
“While Yogi will have his players wound up for the game, I think there’s more pressure on them than there will be on us,” said the Killie manager.
Now the manager is left with the dilemma of whether to use his youngsters again or make a change or two for the Falkirk clash.
He said: “It may be a game more suited to Gary Locke, for example, but it’s good to have a problem about who to pick because we have so many players available, rather than the situation we faced earlier in the season when we had so many players unavailable through injury.”
One player who won’t appear again this season is Rhian Dodds, while both Paul Dalglish and Martyn Corrigan are doubtful for the Falkirk game.
* Killie have currently two 19-year-old French lads training with them. The duo, signed on amateur forms until the end of the season, are Franck Ukambe and Amoury.
Said Jefferies: “Both are living near our training base in Glasgow and have shaped up well. I’ll have a look at them in the under 19s and the reserve side between now and the end of the season to see how they’re coming along.
“While they are still raw, you can see that they have all the ingredients to develop into better players.”
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