Kilmarnock's Oli Shaw chalking off the targets in Premiership push

Kilmarnock’s target this season is a return to the cinch Premiership at the first time of asking, but striker Oli Shaw is already one step closer to fulfilling his own personal ambitions after firing his first goal at Partick Thistle.

Kilmarnock manager Tommy Wright acknowledges the away support after the cinch Championship match between Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock at Firhill on September 18, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Sammy Turner / SNS Group)

A half-volley from 25-yards beat Jamie Sneddon for the game’s second and ensured his earlier miss from the penalty spot would not prove costly in a 2-0 win.

“With a penalty you’ve got a wee split-second to think about it,” said Shaw. “With the one I scored I just brought it down and knew I was going to hit it straight away. I didn’t have to think about it. I caught it well and thankfully it hit the back of the net.

“I’ve always got in-house targets that I’ll look to reach and then set new ones. The first was just to get my first goal and now I’ll build on that.”

Kilmarnock's Oli Shaw celebrates his goal against Partick Thistle. (Photo by Sammy Turner / SNS Group)

Kilmarnock, with a wealth of Premiership experience, are gathering momentum and saw off a strong Thistle challenge before emphasising their quality in the second half.

“Every week the boys and management have been brilliant and that’s three wins on the bounce since I came in,” Shaw added. “ We’re picking up points and near the top so we have to be happy.”

The win not only furthered the ambitions of Shaw and his team but also manager Tommy Wright, who said: “I have a target of how many clean sheets we need in my head, we can’t get out of this league without keeping them.

"If you look at teams who do well, they do it at both ends of the pitch.”

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