Kilmarnock 1 - 1 Falkirk: Kyle provides towering beacon to SPL safety for Kilmarnock

Published on Sunday 10 May 2009 22:22

ANY doubts over whether or not Kilmarnock have the necessary appetite for the fight to avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League were erased by this resolute display.

The better side for most of the match, the Rugby Park team had to cope with the frustration of dominating the game before conceding a goal to Falkirk against the run of play. It was how they reacted to that set-back which suggested the mentality of Jim Jefferies' side should be strong enough not to wilt under pressure over the next couple of weeks.

Even without the services of two of their more incisive attacking players, Danny Invincibile and David Fernandez, Kilmarnock still managed to take the game to Falkirk and create more chances than John Hughes' side. This was because Jefferies devised an effective system of play: the towering figure of Kevin Kyle led the attack through the middle on his own with back-up support from Willie Gibson, Mehdi Taouil and Craig Bryson.

Quicker to the ball and passing at a higher tempo than Falkirk before the interval, Kilmarnock could only scratch their heads in bewilderment at half-time over their failure to score. Kyle, who contributed a hat-trick against the same opponents in April, might have delivered another couple with a smidgen of luck. Certainly, when the young Irish full-back, Tim Clancy, threw over a cross of pinpoint accuracy and Kyle powered a header goalwards, only the outstretched boot of goalkeeper Dani Mallo kept Falkirk on level terms.

Although his touch can sometimes be loose and he's not likely to run away from many defenders, the 6ft 3ins centre-forward, who once played in the English Premier League with Sunderland, stands like Gulliver amid the Lilliputians in the Scottish game. "He's a handful," said team-mate Gavin Skelton.

If Kyle doesn't hurt opponents with pace, there's nothing sluggish about his thought process. They say the first couple of yards for goalscorers are in the mind: the alacrity with which the Stranraer-born centre-forward reacted when Darren Barr's headed clearance from Alan Combe's goal-kick dropped into space was impressive. Kyle saw the opportunity, strode forward and from 18 yards slashed a volley which caught Mallo off-guard and swept into the net.

It was Kyle's fourth goal in two games against Falkirk, prompting Falkirk assistant manager Brian Rice to rue: "He's a former Scottish internationalist and has played at high level. If he played against us every week, he'd get into the Brazil team…"

According to Jefferies, it wasn't just the fact his side had played pretty well on a difficult surface drenched by heavy rain which gave Kilmarnock encouragement for the challenge to come. "When things go against you," he said, "which was what happened when we fell 1-0 behind instead of being in front, there was a question to be answered about our bottle. For us to come back and deservedly get an equaliser – Kyle also might have scored the winner with a header which took the paint off the goal-post – showed we were up for it. If my players continue to show that will and determination, and maybe get a week break along the way, then we'll be okay."

However, the margin for error at the foot of the table remains slender. The share of the spoils in Ayrshire hoisted Kilmarnock up to the 35-point mark, with the least penal goal difference of the sides in the bottom four, while Falkirk remain stuck in the anchor position on 32 points.

While this wasn't one of Falkirk's more impressive displays of recent weeks, Rice reckoned it was a point gained rather than two lost. It was the fourth match in an unbeaten run – they had drawn with Hearts and defeated Motherwell in the SPL as well as knocking out Dunfermline from the Scottish Cup – and confirmed they are not going to relinquish their top-flight status without a fight.

It was Neil McCann's expertise from dead-ball situations which enabled Falkirk to forge ahead after the interval. The former Hearts' winger teased an inswinging corner kick to the front post that allowed Barr to jump above his marker and glance a header into the net.

On a day when Falkirk didn't unearth too much inspiration from open play, it was possible they could have stolen all three points.

Having said that, Rice could not see any grounds for expressing disappointment with the outcome. "Kilmarnock put us under a lot of pressure in the first half," he acknowledged. "Our goalkeeper had to make one or two half-decent saves. After getting ahead from a set-piece, the frustrating thing was we got camped in (on the edge of their box] for a few minutes. It's an important time to play in their half. We didn't do it and eventually lost a goal."

Bearing in mind the swingeing financial cost of relegation to the Scottish Football League, this game was played in a remarkably cheerful spirit. It probably helped that Jefferies and Hughes are old friends and there was no shortage of good natured banter in the dug-outs. That sense of perspective was reflected on the pitch where a decent game of football unfolded without the slightest hint of malice. "The game never got nasty," observed Jefferies. "Considering what's at stake, I thought both teams played in a good spirit."

MAN OF THE MATCH

Kevin Kyle (Kilmarnock)

The lanky centre-forward gave veteran Steven Pressley a torrid afternoon in the Falkirk defence, scoring once and going close on numerous occasions. His performance in attack for Kilmarnock served a reminder that a good big 'un up front will often cause more problems for the opposition than a good little 'un.