Kilmarnock 0-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Toothless Killie uncomfortable in company of Wolves

Published on Saturday 26 July 2008 19:58

Kilmarnock 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Iwelumo 24, 56; Vokes 32

THERE'S rationalising and then there's this. Kilmarnock midfielder James Fowler, reflecting on this comprehensive defeat, mused: "Sometimes it's good to have to chase the game because it helps you build up your fitness." You knew what the midfielder meant but there was no disguising the fact that this was anything other than a disappointing afternoon for the Ayrshire club.

It may have worked out differently for them, however, if they had been able to field Derry City striker Connor Sammon. "We had permission from their chairman to play him but that was withdrawn after Hamilton had a bid accepted for the player," explained manager Jim Jefferies. "However, he was stripped for action on the bench today because I was hoping to get a phone call in the dug-out telling us he could go on. We've agreed terms with the boy, he wants to come here and his agent has made that clear to Hamilton. I'm just hoping the deal is tied up as soon as possible."

Wolves were effectively fielding their second string and prominent among their ranks was former Celtic left-back Michael Gray, now reinvented as a right midfielder. Gray played a leading role when the visitors moved in front after 24 minutes, Scotland B striker Chris Iwelumo rising to meet his accurate free-kick and glance the ball behind Damien Rascle from 12 yards.

Killie's acute shortage of strikers is a problem manager Jim Jefferies is anxious to address: on several occasions here inviting crosses flashed across the face of the opposition goal just begging for a predator's touch. The lack of a goal threat serves to heap more pressure on midfielders to push forward, sometimes at the expense of their defensive duties.

So it proved here as the visitors broke away to notch a second goal by Sam Vokes.

The gulf widened in the 56th minute when Iwelumo struck again, stealing in front of Frazer Wright to provide a header to Daniel Jones' cross.