Mayo hails Brannan after early-season impact

BBC News

3 days ago

Kilmarnock defender Lewis Mayo admits he has already been impressed by the early-season impact of young wing-back Ben Brannan.Brannan captained the Under-18s as Kilmarnock lifted the Scottish Youth Cup in May after a spell on loan in League One with Inverness CT.His progress has continued with three goals and three starts in the League Cup campaign, where Killie topped their group, and he has now been rewarded with a new three-year contract."We already knew how good a player he was, but he's really stepped up," Mayo said. "His composure in front of the goal has been brilliant as well. He had a good loan, you can see in training how much he benefited from that."I think he carries a bit of belief in himself and that's credit to him. He looked like he came back from his loan with a lot of confidence but that's the purpose of it. "He's coming back into this environment feeling he's got something to add, he's got something to bring with him and I think that's really shown with his performances."Mayo, who revealed one of his ambitions is to earn Scotland recognition this season, drew comparisons with team-mate David Watson who broke through at a young age to become a fixture in the first team."They bring an enthusiasm, an energy," he said. "I think David Watson epitomised that."He was really young when he got his first chance and he didn't look it at all with his performances. "At times I felt he was, at that age, still carrying the fight for our team."So I think he's probably the best example of someone that, coming into this environment, comes in just full of enthusiasm and belief."