The benefit of having the international break was there for all to see at Paisley as Killie put in an excellent display that would have earned us three points on any other day. The fact we only left with one point was once again down to substandard officiating. It really is a recurring theme. VAR was introduced to assist our officials and improve their decision-making. Any amount of technology can be implemented but if the officials using it are incompetent then their mistakes are going to be compounded. The referee bottled a red card for Mikael Mandron while VAR chose to ignore Shaun Rooney assaulting Kyle Vassell. Killie were the better team throughout even though we had to play the second half with 10 men following Joe Wright's second dismissal in seven games. Corrie Ndaba was outstanding and having Wright missing for a few weeks is no bad thing. We have another free weekend now but I expect us to start climbing the table when the action starts again. Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine
Image source, SNS Marley Watkins insists Killie can secure a top-six Premiership finish this season despite their slow start to the league campaign. Derek McInnes' side came from behind twice to snatch a 2-2 draw with St Mirren at the weekend to move off the bottom of the table, and Watkins - who scored Killie's first equaliser - thinks the result can spark some momentum. "It's a good point in the end but we need to build on it and make sure we get our first win in the next league game," he said. "We were the better team in the second half, even with 10 men. They're a quality team, I’ve got a lot of respect for St Mirren. "It's always a battle. It's a good point under the circumstances, so we've just got to take it into the next game. "At our best, we should get top six. Every week, we’ve got to make sure we keep our standards high and start climbing."
Jonathan Sutherland Sportscene presenter In a hectic game in Paisley where St Mirren and Kilmarnock drew 2-2, Corrie Ndaba stood out for the visitors both at the back and going forward. It's understandable why Derek McInnes wanted the full-back on a permanent deal after his impressive loan stint last season.
Media caption, Highlights: St Mirren 2-2 Kilmarnock
We asked for your views on Kilmarnock 2-2 draw against St Mirren. Here's what some of you said: David: With what happened during the game and having seen the TV footage a 2-2 draw was fair. However, it was a much improved performance up to the sending off and the second half. Killie were the only team in the game. Stop the red cards, improve discipline, and we'll do well this season. Excellent turn out by our fans! James: The VAR was ridiculous. They managed to see the handball for the penalty and the Joe Wright incident but did nothing when Mikael Mandron and Shaun Rooney committed glaring fouls. The team played as well as they have all season and we'll start picking up points soon. Martin: Best Kilmarnock performance of the season. Only one team wanted to play football against a team of hammer-throwers. Ref and VAR need dropped and fined, but what a team, proud of how we kept on going and got the vital point. Could and should have been more. Corrie Ndaba was superb. Anna: Absolute garbage. Why the hell, when we were chasing the win, did Derek McInnes not make any substitutions until the 85th minute? Had he done so earlier like after the sending off we might have had a chance of a win. Jim: Let's stop looking through blue and white glasses. This is a poor team. The goalkeeper is static in goal. The defence panic when under pressure. The two up front are extremely poor. The goals they have scored are deflections and not clear-cut goals. We seem to thrive in getting fouls instead of playing football to create chances. Stephen: Not great from both sides, the red card for Wright was a wrong decision and if you compare the decision making regarding the penalty, just look at the penalty disallowed between Celtic and Hearts. Penalty decisions were an absolute joke.
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Kilmarnock have won two points from losing positions in the Premiership this season - only Dundee have recovered more.
Meanwhile St Mirren have lost four points from winning positions in the Premiership this season - no team has lost more.
Liam Polworth attempted 55 passes in this game, the highest total for a Kilmarnock player in the Premiership this season.
Andy Burke BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter Image source, SNS Marley Watkins says Kilmarnock need to "sort it out" when it comes to their disciplinary record this season if they are to climb up the Premiership table. Watkins scored Killie's first equaliser as they twice came from behind to secure a hard-earned 2-2 draw at St Mirren. Joe Wright was sent off for a clash with Shaun Rooney just before the break, his second red card of the season and Killie's fourth of the campaign. "It's uncharacteristic of us to have that many, but we've got to sort it out," Watkins told BBC Scotland. "We had 10 men for the majority of the game and I'm so proud of the boys for digging in. Buzzing we got Joe out of trouble. "I think we can be proud of the point under the circumstances. Obviously we came here to win but things happen in football games and we'll take the point "It shows our character from last season and we've brought it into this season, and now I think we need to win the next game to make it a good point."
Kilmarnock came from behind with 10 men to draw against St Mirren in a full-blooded, action-packed and breathless affair that had a 91st-minute Buddies' winner ruled out. Four goals, one red card, three VAR interventions and plenty of contentious decisions that could have gone either way. What did you make of it, Kilmarnock fans? Would you take a point in those circumstances? Let us know your thoughts., external
Image source, SNS Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes told BBC Scotland: "We were the better team with 11 men, we asserted ourselves on the game, overran them in midfield, carried a threat on the sides. We were terrific. "The first time the ball comes in our box, [Toyosi] Olusanya gets a run. We're so annoyed with that type of goal, but our response is good - a well-worked set play. St Mirren are a big time and sometimes you have to think outside the box to get a solution. "I've not seen the handball again, I've got to trust it is. We've got to assume the referee has got it right and we've got it all to do." "The moment of madness from Joe Wright is unacceptable. He'll be fined two weeks wages for his actions. If the referee has deemed that as a punch, it is ill-discipline. Kilmarnock fans need to know that's not acceptable. "If the referee has seen what I think I saw, it is enough for a red card."
Andrew Petrie BBC Sport Scotland Image source, SNS Image caption, Joe Wright is sent off by referee Matthew MacDermid Four red cards in the first five league games is completely unacceptable, and something that McInnes must be mulling how to solve. Another moment of insanity from Joe Wright - his second of the season - almost cost them everything, but for the typical determination you see from McInnes sides. 'It's us against the world' must have been the half-time team talk, and maybe McInnes has a point. Rooney and Mandron both should have been off in the first half and you'd have to back Kilmarnock against nine men. Armstrong and Kennedy were effective on the wings, as were Vassell and Watkins up top. They just need to sort this defensive frailty that has crept in. That, and the crazy red cards.
Image source, SNS Matty Kennedy. Often flies under the radar because of Danny Armstrong's heroics, but he is equally threatening from the other wing. That said, both of them were a fair shout for Kilmarnock's player of the match. They whipped plenty of balls in that worried the St Mirren defence. Corrie Ndaba was also impressive. Both goals came from corners, caused by Ndaba shooting from distance. If he stays fit, he should start every week.
Image source, SNS Kevin van Veen could make his St Mirren debut but is not ready to start. Alex Iacovitti will be out until around Christmas with a tendon injury while Richard Taylor is struggling with a hernia problem which in time will probably require surgery. Greg Kiltie (ankle) is training again while Conor McMenamin (knee) is making progress. Kilmarnock goalkeeper Robby McCrorie is fit again. Brad Lyons serves the second of a two-game ban and Liam Donnelly remains out. Kyle Magennis is working his way back from a hamstring injury.
Matthew Reed BBC Sport Scotland Image source, SNS Corrie Ndaba says it was a "no-brainer" to reject interest from elsewhere and sign a permanent deal to make Kilmarnock his "home". After spending last season at Rugby Park in what was his seventh loan spell from Ipswich Town - helping Killie to a fourth-place finish - the 24-year-old full-back returned on a three-year contract in the summer window. The former Republic of Ireland youth international said: "Speaking to the gaffer, I'd been here last season and we'd done really well, so it was a no-brainer for me to come back here. "There was interest (from elsewhere) but I'm happy to be here. "It's important for me to find a home, I've felt welcomed here and enjoyed last season and I want to continue and do well at this club." Ndaba believes the increased workload due to Kilmarnock's European participation has had an impact on their poor early-season form, but is hoping their fortunes can change, starting against St Mirren on Saturday. "It looks like the European games have affected us when you look at the league table," he added. "It's the first time a lot of the boys have been playing two games in a week so maybe it has, but I don't like to think that way. "Everyone goes into every game wanting to win, we just haven't got the result we wanted at the moment, but I'm sure that will change soon. "I'd say the discipline has killed us. We've had three red cards already which is a bit alien. It's just the little details like that, once we clean that up we can get back to where we were."
Image source, SNS Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson has been ranked as one of the top 100 teenage footballers in the world by a leading sports research body. The Switzerland-based International Centre for Sports Studies listed the 18-year-old as 87th in its top 100 teenagers, external list. The Football Observatory ranking, which is calculated based on the level of experience accrued by the players - based on how much they've played, and weighted by the competition level. And the ranking, which is topped by Barcelona pair Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, puts Watson in the same rankings as Manchester United and England midfielder Kobbie Maino and Manchester City's Rico Lewis. Watson is not the only Premiership player on the list - Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller achieved an even higher placing, ranking inside the top 30.
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St Mirren are winless in their last eight Scottish Premiership games against Kilmarnock (D4 L4), losing their most recent three in row.
Kilmarnock have won each of their last three away games against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership, last beating an opponent on four consecutive top-flight trips between November 2018 and February 2020, four in a row versus Hearts.
St Mirren have lost four of their last six home league games (W1 D1), as many as their previous 15 beforehand.
Having only lost two of their final 13 away league games last season (W4 D7), Kilmarnock have since lost their two on the road this term.
Bruce Anderson scored on his first league start for Kilmarnock against Hibs last time out - the last player to score in both of his first two starts for the club in the Scottish Premiership was Daniel Whitehall in January 2021.
Image source, SNS Image caption, Robby McCrorie collided with Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi Celtic should have been awarded a penalty against Kilmarnock in the reigning champions' 4-0 Scottish Premiership opening weekend win in Glasgow, Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum has concluded. Three controversial incident involving Kilmarnock in the opening four weeks of the new season were highlighted among eight analysed in The VAR Review, a new monthly show on the Scottish FA's YouTube channel, with Collum concluding that he was "content with the start we've made". The other incorrect decision also came on the opening weekend, when Dundee United ought to have had a spot-kick for hand ball in their 2-2 draw with Dundee. Celtic 4-0 Kilmarnock - 4 August Kyogo Furuhashi collided with Kilmarnock goalkeeper Robby McCrorie as the Celtic striker met a free-kick chipped over the defence. Referee Don Robertson and VAR officials concluded during the game that "the goalkeeper just makes himself big". However, Collum said: "We believe this was the wrong decision. We have coached the referees and the VARs that a penalty kick should have been awarded here. "It is an unexpected free-kick with the way the ball is chipped. It catches the on-field referee by surprise and it's very difficult for the referee to find an angle round that wall to get a proper view. "The Celtic player clearly gets ahead and touches the ball past the goalkeeper and we then think the goalkeeper's actions are reckless. An off-field review should have been requested and the referee asked to come to the monitor." Kilmarnock 0-3 St Johnstone - 11 August Kilmarnock thought they should have a penalty when Danny Armstrong went down under a challenge from Andre Raymond. Referee Chris Graham booked the home winger for simulation, but VAR decided that his heel had been clipped, but it was outside the penalty box. "This is a wrong decision on-field," Collum said. "It is a foul, it is a trip and, when the VAR sees it's outside the box, it's impossible for the VAR to become involved. "It is a quirk. Had it been a yard further, VAR could have become involved and the decision overturned and a penalty given. It is impossible for us to fix it through VAR." Aberdeen 2-0 Kilmarnock - 25 August Brad Lyons was initially booked by referee MacDermid for a challenge on Ester Sokler at Pittodrie, but the visiting midfielder was sent off. "We are happy that the VAR recommended an on-field review and that the card was overturned from yellow to red," Collum said. "We don't think the player is in complete control. We think the point of contact was high - it is on the shin - and it therefore endangers the safety of the opponent."
Image source, SNS Image caption, Kilmarnock gained their first point of the season with a draw at home to Hibs in the final outing before the international break Paul Sheerin insists Kilmarnock are ready to ignite their season after using the international break to draw a line under their European efforts. Derek McInnes' men played six qualifying games in Europe this season, falling at the Conference League play-off stage to Copenhagen, but their domestic form suffered and they prop up the Premiership with just one point from four games. "It's been tough going, the results have reflected that unfortunately," said assistant boss Sheerin. "So now the European adventure is out of the way we focus again on league duty and we knuckle down and hopefully start picking up points as soon as possible. “At no stage will we use that [European football] as an excuse, it's just not quite gone our way in terms of performance levels and we're constantly looking to improve on that. “But this international break has definitely given us a chance to get ourselves going again. Training properly is taken out of the equation when you're travelling and playing two games a week, you're not being exposed to as much training as you'd like. “We've managed to get a good bit of training under our belt, a bit more structure to our working week, and hopefully that will help us going forward." Dutch striker Kevin van Veen, who had an underwhelming loan spell with Killie in the second half of last season, could make his St Mirren debut when the Ayrshire side visit Paisley on Saturday. "You need to be aware of him even without a point to prove," said Sheerin. "He's got brilliant qualities, we recognised those qualities when we signed him and he showed those qualities when he came into the club. "I think he made others around him better too. Kyle Vassell and Marley Watkins towards the tail-end of the season were excellent for us, which made it more difficult for Kevin to get in, but we're no doubt about the quality he brings."
Matthew Reed BBC Sport Scotland at Rugby Park Image source, SNS Assistant manager Paul Sheerin addressed the media today in advance of Kilmarnock's return to Scottish Premiership action against St Mirren on Saturday. Here are the key points he made:
He said the club looked to use the international break as a reset now that European adventure is out of the way.
However, he added they won't use European qualifiers as an excuse for poor start but break gives them a chance to "get going again".
Sheerin said the club will strive for another top-six finish and more European football next season.
The assistant manager said the run of red cards in the team has been spoken about and he hopes it doesn't continue in the side.
He confirmed Liam Donnelly is still carrying a knock and will miss the St Mirren game but could return against Dundee United.
Image source, SNS The rather grim headlines of one point, one goal scored, and 10 conceded so far says much about Kilmarnock's start in the Premiership as tough fixtures while juggling European football has taken its toll. However, if Derek McInnes digs a little deeper - which he will have done - there are signs of encouragement. Killie's expected goals rating of 4.88 means they are creating better chances than several other teams in the league, but have struggled to finish them. Their appalling conversion rate of 2.5%, the joint worst in the league, speaks to the latter fact. While that only adds to the gloom, the good news is if performances continue to yield chances that statistic is likely to improve. Teams do not often have such a big gap between goals and expected goals over a longer period of time. The same logic applies down the other end, where Kilmarnock's expected goals against rating sits at 6.88, despite having conceded 10 in total. Playing Celtic and Aberdeen, two of the most efficient teams in front of goal this season, plus Joe Newell's unlikely strike for Hibs from out wide, will have exacerbated those numbers. McInnes has spoken about how the intensity of their running has dropped during Sunday matches after European games, and this is also borne out in some of the metrics which examine pressing. Without European football we could see Killie get back to full intensity, which could allow them to sharpen up in both boxes. That would see them start to climb the league rather than be cast adrift. Now, they have to go and do it.
Image source, SNS Kilmarnock left-back Oliver Bainbridge says he's extremely grateful for the opportunity to play in Europe and thinks he will develop as a player and person while on loan at Rugby Park. The 19-year-old joined Derek McInnes' side from Sunderland on a temporary basis in the summer and made the first senior appearance of his career away to Celtic, before featuring in the club's efforts to qualify for the Conference League. "My first start, against Celtic, 60,000 in the ground, it wasn't the result we wanted but as a first professional start I couldn't ask for a better experience," Bainbridge told his parent club's media, external. "My second start was away in the Arctic circle in Norway against Tromso. We won 1-0 and I played 70 minutes in my second game which was another great experience. "I don't know whether I'll ever play in Europe again so that's something I can say I've done. "As many games as possible would be great for me, but even things off the pitch, like moving away from my family - getting life experience as well."
BBC Sport Scotland chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering your questions. Neil asked: Killie's time under Derek McInnes has been good - promoted, avoided relegation the following season, got into Europe the next year and had a good European run. It's hard to argue with results... but how would you rate him as a manager? I'm still not at all convinced by his signings, scouting, recruitment, tactics or substitutions. Tom answered: You're a hard man to please, Neil. As you point out, McInnes has achieved a lot in his time at the club. I rate him very highly. He did an excellent job for many seasons with Aberdeen, but he stayed there probably a season too long. He's doing another excellent job with Killie. I've been impressed with the squad he's put together and those boys managed to give the Old Firm a bloody nose last season. Killie performed above expectations. McInnes is a shrewd guy and, in my view, the club is lucky to have him and he's lucky to have such a supportive owner. It's a good relationship. Frank asked: Was the manager correct in pursuing Europe as a priority opposed to domestic football when there was a chance of winning a trophy at home? Tom answered: I think he was, yes. I know he didn't start a few first-choice players against Motherwell in the League Cup, but the financial rewards of making it through the qualification rounds of Europe would have been transformational. McInnes had to give it a proper rattle. In any event, the League Cup exit was more down to the red card for Stuart Findlay than anything else, I felt. A red in the 51st minute of a game that went to extra time - that's a long time to hold on. Without the red, would they have made it through? Possibly. And prioritising Europe wouldn't have been mentioned, I'd wager.
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