Kilmarnock eliminate fear factor ahead of Hibs as they look to crack 12-year Easter Road curse
Neil McCann’s side are in a good run of form as they strive to overcome the unwanted Leith cycle
As Kilmarnock travel to Edinburgh on Saturday, Neil McCann is hoping to achieve a feat beyond the last six Killie bosses - beating Hibs at Easter Road.
The last time the Ayrshire side left Leith with three Premiership points was back in May 2014, when Kris Boyd fired the ball beyond Ben Williams for the only goal of the game to keep Kilmarnock in the top-flight. In the following 13 meetings at Easter Road there have been nine Hibs victories and four stalemates. An example of the latter was earlier on in the season when the visitors came back from two goals down to salvage a point.
It was a difficult start to the season for Killie, who appointed former Hearts and Rangers star McCann amid a 14-game winless run, however under the stewardship of the former Dundee boss, their fortunes have somewhat changed. Killie have earned 10 points from their last six matches in a run which included a victory over league leaders Hearts. They currently sit 11th in the table, sufficiently clear of bottom-placed Livingston and within close range of St Mirren, Aberdeen and Dundee above them.
Killie can ill-afford any blips ahead of Hibs clash
With back-to-back wins against Hearts and Livingston, Kilmarnock are slowly but surely beginning to find their form again in the league, but McCann knows their precarious position in the standings leaves little room for error. He said: “I'm aware of it, clearly, I have to be aware of it, but just looking at where we are now, I think we're just in a really good groove in terms of how we're feeling about ourselves and the way we want to play.
"We'll probably have another wee meeting today actually, just in fine-tuning because I still think we can get much better. But I think we've found a good place where we're defensively structured but still retaining a real good threat. I'm hoping that the fans are enjoying what they're seeing just now.”
McCann took over at Rugby Park in January alongside his trusted number two, Billy Dodds. It is his first permanent managerial role since he left Dundee in 2018. The Killie boss claims it’s now up to him and his coaching staff to eliminate any ‘apprehension’ in the dressing room prior to their arrival.
McCann strives to eliminate Kilmarnock factor
He continued: "I think where we are right now is that we always wanted to make sure we're in the fight here. I think the biggest thing for me coming in here with Billy [Dodds, assistant] was to eliminate the fear that maybe was existing.
"Fear is maybe the wrong word, apprehension may be a better word to use, and just let the boys get back to enjoying their football, being brave because being brave is going to get results and we've started that but we've got so much work to do. We're nowhere near where we want to be and Saturday is just going to be another example of how hard it's going to be for us this season."