Latest news with #Killie
STV News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- STV News
Stuart Kettlewell keen to find the answers to Kilmarnock's goal woes
Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell will focus on finding the answers in the final third after his side were held to a goalless draw by Kelty Hearts. Killie recorded their third clean sheet of the League Cup, but are now just one point ahead of both East Fife and Livingston in Group H ahead of Saturday's deciding games. Kettlewell's side will progress if they win at home against the William Hill League One Fifers, but he knows they will need to improve their attacking play against Dick Campbell's side. 'We have to be more threatening and we have to be able to go and express ourselves a wee bit more with some more composure to make sure we capitalise on opportunities,' he told Killie TV. 'If we think it's going to be any different – people not throwing their body on the line and defending their penalty box like Kelty Hearts did – then we are seriously mistaken. 'It will be a difficult enough game for us and we will have to play with some real tempo to be able play through them and carve out opportunities.' He continued: 'What we will do between now and then is understand why we didn't execute it better and why we didn't finish. 'Sometimes that's the last thing to come in pre-season so I don't become ultra negative, but the demands are there that we become more threatening in front of goal.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Kilmarnock pay the penalty as they suffer Premier Sports Cup shoot-out defeat to Kelty Hearts
Killie were edged out on penalties by Kelty Hearts at New Central Park Kilmarnock boss Stuart Kettlewell bemoaned his side's lack of cutting edge as they suffered a penalty shoot-out defeat to Kelty Hearts in their Premier Sports Cup clash. The visitors created a slew of chances - and had multiple strong penalty shouts turned away - as the two sides played out a goalless draw in Fife. Connor Masson's missed penalty for the hosts ensured it was advantage Killie in the shoot-out but Ryan Adamson's saves from Jamie Brandon and Marcus Dackers saw the home side prevail 4-3 on penalties and pick up the bonus point. The draw does at least mean that Kilmarnock's hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages are still in their own hands as they sit atop Group H heading into Saturday's final game at home to East Fife. Kettlewell said: "We deserve everything we get at the end of it. We create enough chances to win and don't convert so ultimately full credit to Kelty Hearts. "I believe we should be winning the game, and that's no disrespect to them whatsoever. We've had good enough chances and if you don't convert them, we've seen it round the country that nights like this can be really difficult." He added: "In the first half we needed to be a bit more forceful. In the second half we did start to hurt them but we just didn't have that end product or final decision to kill off the opponent. Kelty deserved the point and also their penalty shoot-out win. "You have to have enough quality to open up the opposition - and I think we did that plenty in the second half - but we never had that final action to convert. We were creating enough chances and we need to take ownership of that." He made wholesale changes to his line-up with only keeper Max Stryjek and defenders Lewis Mayo and George Stanger retaining their place in the starting line-up from their win over Livingston last week. There was a first start for Tom Lowery, while Corrie Ndaba made his first appearance of the campaign after recovering from injury. They controlled much of the play in the early stages but created few clear cut chances. Ndaba's back post header from a corner-kick that was palmed wide by Adamson on 11 minutes was the best they offered in the opening exchanges. At the other end, a George Stanger slip could have proved costly as Luke McCarvel raced through on goal, but Brandon bailed out his teammate with a fine block to prevent any danger. Killie started to get on the front foot and were twice thwarted by Adamson in quick succession midway through the half when Bruce Anderson fizzed a strike from the edge of the box before Ndaba once again saw his header saved. The second half started off in similar fashion with the Premiership hosts on top but unable to find a breakthrough. Anderson spurned a glorious chance in the early stages after being teed up by Scott Tiffoney. Kelty, though, weren't just content to defend and they went close to a shock opener when Innes Murray's curling effort from the edge of the box went narrowly wide. Tiffoney impressed down the left flank and was the source of most of Killie's positive play during the second 45 minutes. He drove to the line on 65 minutes before sending in a delivery that was fired inches over the bar by Brandon. Lowery was next to have a pop as he drove through the Kelty defence but could only send his effort straight at Adamson while Kelty breathed a huge sigh of relief 12 minutes from time when Marcus Dackers' powerful strike hit the inside of the woodwork but somehow stayed out as the visitors went searching for the breakthrough. The frontman then lacked composure at the death as he blazed over in injury-time as the game went to penalties before then missing the final spot-kick as Kelty picked up the win.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Kilmarnock youngster heads out on loan after club signs Queen of the South cooperation agreement
The 16-year-old has joined the Doonhamers in a bid for more regular game time Kilmarnock youngster Cole Burke is heading to League One side Queen of the South on loan after the two clubs agreed a cooperation agreement. The 16-year-old made two first team appearances at the tail end of last season, having starred for Scotland at youth level and helped guide Killie to the Scottish Youth Cup. The Doonhamers become the second club with which Killie have entered into a cooperation agreement, having previously sent three players to League Two side Annan Athletic. The cooperation system has recently been launched as part of a new SFA and SPFL initiative aimed at boosting opportunities for young Scottish players. It provides greater flexibility to the previous domestic loan agreements, by allowing teams a maximum of three players who are eligible to represent the Scotland national teams, to join a lower-league club but also be able to move between the parent and cooperation club throughout the season to increase playing time.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Kilmarnock boss wary of 'difficult' Kelty Hearts challenge ahead of Premier Sports Cup clash
Stuart Kettlewell heaped praise on the Fife club and boss Tam O'Ware as the Killie boss eyes up a third successive win Kilmarnock boss Stuart Kettlewell insists tonight's visit to League One outfit Kelty Hearts will be a 'difficult' task and says he has plenty of praise for the Fife club and gaffer Tam O'Ware. Killie will be looking to take a big step towards sealing their place in the knockout stages of the Premier Sports Cup by making it three wins from three when they travel to New Central Park as he continues towards preparing for the start of the Premiership campaign. He said: 'They've obviously brought in quite a lot of fresh blood and some younger players with good energy to the team, so it'll be a difficult task for us on Tuesday. 'We just want that work ethic, that buy-in from players, that's the simple parts of it. 'Trying to keep as many players fit as you possibly can, try and get through all your markers, as many minutes into players as you possibly can, try and get them battle-hardened and get them ready for the rigours of a season. 'There's a lot of aspects that we look at behind the scene that you still try to chip away at to make sure that you get it to kind of the way you're working. 'You're always wanting to try and get to that best practise throughout the course of the week, not just on the pitch. I think we've been making small steps and making decent ground in that sense, but as always, everything's a work in progress. 'We're trying to strive for perfection, I think that's why we're all in it.' Kettlewell will be lining up against one of the youngest managers in the SPFL in O'Ware - something the Killie boss can sympathise with from his earlier days in the hotseat at Ross County. He said: 'I grew a beard, trying to make myself look a wee bit older but I've still got it to this day. 'Silly little things like that, but you always believe in what you do, you always believe in how you handle yourself. 'You need to not have this ego because I'm nowhere near the finished article with eight or so years of experience and a lot of games under my belt. 'We've all got ideas, we've all got a way that we think we want to go about the job, but you learn so much from different scenarios. 'I briefly spoke to Tam before the game and he'd said that there's not enough hours in the day in the part-time job. 'I think he's got a point, I really do. I've always said that being a manager in part-time football, the role's still the same, you've still got to get through the same markers, you've still got to prepare your team. 'I always tip my cap because I think it's a hard job at senior level and at full-time with the amount of hours that I and my staff put into it. But I think when you twist that into part-time football, you're looking for the same success, you're looking for the same achievements, but you're trying to do it with a lot less hours. 'That'll be a great experience for Tam, I've no doubt about it.'
STV News
6 days ago
- Sport
- STV News
Stuart Kettlewell hails Max Stryjek after Kilmarnock's cup win over Livingston
Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell was delighted with the debut performance of goalkeeper Max Stryjek in his side's 1-0 Premier Sports Cup win over Livingston. The Pole denied his former club on a number of occasions as Killie took control of Group H. Stryjek has returned to Scottish football three years after leaving Livi for Wycombe and after a season of largely playing understudy at Jagiellonia Bialystok in his homeland. Speaking after his first home match in charge, Kettlewell said of his keeper: 'You just see his experience, don't you? He's some character, but he just wants to play football. He wants to get back out on the pitch. 'He's been a guy for a number of years now that's been active in the game, playing, being involved, under pressure, doing well. 'So I think you can kind of see that in his performance. He's been really vibrant about the place and delighted that he performed as well as he did.' Killie triumphed thanks to a 31st-minute own goal from Mo Sylla, who was unfortunate to see the ball bounce in off him after some poor handling from goalkeeper Jerome Prior. 'I need to rein myself in for being negative, because I absolutely think we can play much better than what we did,' Kettlewell added. 'I think we'll have to over the course of the season. 'What the players showed us was a bit of grit, a bit of determination, to make sure they dragged themselves across the line to get the three points.' Livingston manager David Martindale was encouraged by some of his team's attacking play and is set to add to his squad in the coming days. Martindale will attend a work permit hearing on Thursday in a bid to sign 36-year-old DR Congo international striker Jeremy Bokila from Willem II, who were relegated from the Dutch top flight last season. 'I'm pretty confident it will get passed, he is coming from a real top level,' he said. 'And then there's two younger ones who I'm speaking to their parent clubs about. Whether that's going to be loans or permanent deals… 'If I can get those three players in the building this week or early next week, I'll be over the moon with what we've got, although we would need to trim the squad a bit.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
