Kilmarnock reduce size of Rugby Park pitch ahead of Rangers clash

Kilmarnock have reduced the size of the Rugby Park pitch ahead of their Ladbrokes Premiership opener against Rangers, after extending it for their Europa League clash with Connah's Quay Nomads.

The Rugby Park pitch has been reduced in size

Pictures of the Ayrshire club's playing surface ahead of kick-off showed new lines had been drawn on the artificial turf, returning the pitch size to its regular dimensions.

The pitch is usually 102 metres long by 68 metres wide, but UEFA rules stipulate that for European competitions, playing surfaces must be 105 metres long by 68 metres wide.

The Light Blues are no strangers to altering pitch dimensions.

In the 1987/88 European Cup, then Gers boss Graeme Souness narrowed the Ibrox pitch ahead of a clash with Dynamo Kyiv in a bid to limit the Soviet champions' wing play, with Rangers turning around a 1-0 deficit from the first leg to go through 2-1 on aggregate.