Kilmarnock would be 'unluckiest team alive' if relegated, says Jefferies

Published on Tuesday 12 May 2009 22:51

JIM Jefferies claims Kilmarnock would be the unluckiest team on the planet to play as they did against Falkirk in their final three games and still get relegated.

The Ayrshire side dominated the first half of their home match on Saturday but needed a Kevin Kyle equaliser to remain above the SPL's bottom side. The dropped points left Kilmarnock facing another relegation battle tonight when St Mirren visit Rugby Park.

"If you could give me that performance for the next three matches, I'd take your hand off," Jefferies said. "You would be the unluckiest team alive to go down with that level of performance because we should have won on Saturday. Hopefully that will be good enough if we produce the same again."

Kyle was central to Kilmarnock's impressive first-half display and almost snatched a late winner when he headed inches wide. The eight-times capped Scot had been suspended since scoring all three goals in Falkirk's previous trip to Rugby Park last month, and Jefferies is optimistic the target man will play a key role in hauling Kilmarnock out of trouble.

"You can see the difference," Jefferies said. "I think it gives the other players confidence. They have a will about them to play at a good tempo because, when we are in and around the box, they have a chance of him finishing.

"He was unlucky not to get a hat-trick on Saturday. He is going to be key to us in these last games. But I don't want to resort to punting it up to Kevin all the time – that's not going to get us anywhere."

Meanwhile, GusMacPherson has warned St Mirren fans that turning on the team will only accelerate their slide towards relegation. The home side left the field to a cacophony of boos after the first half of Saturday's 3-1 St Mirren Park defeat to Motherwell, a result which left them only two points off the foot of the table. However, St Mirren manager MacPherson

insists such jeers are counter-productive ahead of tonight's crunch clash at Kilmarnock.

"Home or away, it makes no difference, the pressure is always going to be there," said MacPherson. "I hope we take a healthy support down to Rugby Park because I think that is what is required at the moment – we need the support. It would be too easy for me to criticise the supporters but I can't as they have every right to criticise our performances in the last two home games, where we weren't good enough.

"But, at this current juncture, we need our supporters – the players need them."

MacPherson's injury woes worsened this week with the news striker Jim Hamilton and defender Jack Ross are likely to miss the remainder of the season.