Kilmarnock won't look back on this season with particular fondness, however they have managed to secure their Premiership status which would have been the minimum they expected at the start of the campaign.
The season didn’t start well as they were knocked out of the League Cup by lower league opposition, Albion Rovers, as their young squad took time to gel together. Manager Lee Clark had scoured his home country of England for as much talent as possible with numerous players coming in on free transfers and on loans but the vast majority of them were untried and untested at Scottish Premiership level and most were under the age of 21. A serious injury to Greg Kiltie, one of their best young up and coming players who had performed so well last year also made things difficult.
For much of the year they spent their time in and around the relegation zone, struggling to put enough wins together to get them out of danger, and then the loss of manager Clark as he moved back down south was another blow to the team. A knockout at the first possible attempt in the Scottish Cup ended any hopes of silverware in Killie, without offering much of a contest.
There were some positives to take from the campaign as young players like Jordan Jones proved excellent signings, and Freddie Woodman on loan from Newcastle on goal was particularly impressive. Lee McCulloch stepped up from a backroom role to take charge of the team in Clark’s absence and did a good job, securing their safety with a few games to go and is now in the frame to get the job full time.
