Nicke Kabamba looking up as Kilmarnock set sights on another third place

Striker says the performance against Celtic sets a mark for the season

Manager Alex Dyer congratulates Nicke Kabamba following his display against Celtic on Sunday. Picture: SNS

Nicke Kabamba believes Kilmarnock’s performance against Celtic on Sunday has set the template for a bid to finish best of the rest in the Scottish Premiership this season.

After their stunning third place finish under the management of Steve Clarke, below, in 2018-19, Killie had to settle for eighth spot last season as his successor Alex Dyer found his feet in the role.

But striker Kabamba, outstanding in the 1-1 draw against the Scottish champions at Rugby Park, feels they can nurture greater ambition in the new campaign.

“If we want to get into the top six in the table and even start to challenge to try to get that third place again, the games against the likes of Celtic are ones where you have to try to pick up points,” said the big Englishman.

“We managed to take a point and I think the gaffer was chuffed with us, but you have to immediately start looking towards the next game and that’s what we need to do.”

Killie now head north to face Ross County tomorrow night, hoping for better fortune than in their previous away fixture of the campaign when they lost 2-1 to Hibs at Easter Road on the opening day.

“Has it set the standards for us going forward?” added Kabamba. “Yes, definitely.

“Did it feel like a launchpad for the whole team in terms of the season now? Well it was definitely a bounce back from that first day loss and the job now is to try to build upon it.

“Like people have seen from us in the Celtic game, we managed to give the champions a real good contest and we have to now do that in every game. If we manage to do that, we’ll be fine.

“We were really delighted with the result on Sunday and you could see it, especially amongst the boys in the dressing room after the game.

“We felt as though we should have got something from the game at Hibs, but we didn’t manage to do so and then we got something out of Celtic.”

Kabamba proved a thorn in the flesh of the Celtic defence throughout with his aerial prowess and hold-up play, while his persistence and skill forced the foul from defender Christopher Jullien which gave Kilmarnock their equaliser from the 
penalty spot.

“On a personal level, it was one of my best performances and I now have to make sure that is the standard that I keep producing for the team in every game,” said the 27-year-old who joined Killie from Hartlepool United in January.

“You have to try to go into games with a bit of confidence. I managed to win my first header in the match and then it went from there.

“I was able to get in behind the Celtic defence a few times and that also helps build the confidence.

“Overall, we were chuffed to get a point from the match and, maybe, we were unlucky not to get all three.

“You get yourself into those situations where we got the penalty and they are tricky sometimes when you are outnumbered. You try to go towards the goal and that’s what I did and he pulled me back.

“I didn’t really look into their defenders going into the game because each match is 
different.

“Going into the match as an underdog, though, is something I don’t mind so much. That’s what we were as a team against Celtic and, as I said, we were maybe even unlucky not to win.”

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