Killie are good enough to maintain title bid says Daniel Bachmann

Managers Derek McInnes and Steve Clarke are trying to impose a mafia-style silence when it comes to talking up their teams’ chances of mounting a title challenge, but the indications are some of their players are struggling to maintain the football equivalent of omerta.
Kris Boyd was sent off for this challenge on Graeme Shinnie. Picture: SNSKris Boyd was sent off for this challenge on Graeme Shinnie. Picture: SNS
Kris Boyd was sent off for this challenge on Graeme Shinnie. Picture: SNS

Notably the goalkeepers of both Aberdeen and Kilmarnock remained positive about their future prospects following this dour draw, but then again they had a lot of time to reflect after 90 minutes when neither was seriously troubled. ​

Daniel Bachmann did have three shots to deal with for the visitors, the most difficult for the Austrian, on loan from Watford, being Stevie May’s drive from distance in 39 minutes, while, at the other end, Joe Lewis, pictured, was a virtual spectator.​ In a tough, competitive, scrappy game lacking in quality, Kilmarnock were handicapped by a straight red card for veteran striker Kris Boyd’s challenge on Graeme Shinnie near the end of a match they failed to register a single shot on goal.​

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Arguably, Celtic were the only real winners as victory in their game in hand at home to St Johnstone on Wednesday would move the defending champions six points clear of the Rugby Park side and eight ahead of the Dons.​

Business as usual in the Premiership, then? Not according to Lewis who said:“I think they (Celtic) will drop points between now and the end of the season. It is down to all the teams who are competing at the top of the league to just keeping winning games.

​“Last season, I think, we were the best team after the split. We picked up the most points in the key games and hopefully we can do that again.”​

Aberdeen have now lost just once in their last eight league matches, although that was a key game against Celtic, while it’s just one defeat in the last 11 in the Premiership for Kilmarnock and there are no prizes for guessing who inflicted that.​

A 5-1 hammering at Parkhead is also the only defeat Bachmann has suffered since the 24-year-old replaced the experienced Jamie MacDonald following the Dons’ victory at Rugby Park in early November.​

The goalkeeper knows everyone outside the club expected them to crumble after that but they have shown a resilience that will also see them through the loss of Greg Stewart to Aberdeen earlier this month.​

Stewart not only scored eight goals during his time with Kilmarnock, he was also responsible for eight assist during that loan spell from Birmingham City and the visitors badly missed those qualities at Pittodrie.​

Despite that, Bachmann is convinced they will prove the doubters wrong again and said:‘With Greg leaving, and us having Rangers in the first game back, people probably expected that to be the time when we started to drop off but we have got four points in this week. ​One player doesn’t make our team, that’s not the kind of team we are. Just because one player has left it doesn’t mean we are a weaker team now. Not at all. It might make us stronger.”‘