Brora Rangers 0 Kilmarnock 2: Four talking points from Stuart Kettlewell's first game
Ben Brannan was superb on his debut, netting a goal to set the team on their way to victory before fellow new start Djenairo Daniels added a second.
Kilmarnock picked up a deserved three points in their quest to qualify as top seed from their Premier Sports Cup group.
Stuart Kettlewell’s men won 2-0 against Brora Rangers on a sunny afternoon, 250 miles away from Rugby Park.
Ben Brannan was superb on his debut, netting a goal to set the team on their way to victory before fellow new start Djenairo Daniels added a second.
Here is our instant reaction to the main talking points…
Winning start
Stuart Kettlewell got off to the perfect start as Killie manager with a victory in his first competitive game.
Brora Rangers were no pushovers, and gave a good account of themselves in the Highlands, especially considering they haven’t played any pre-season fixtures.
However, the top-flight outfit were just too good for their counterparts on the day, and a 2-0 victory really should’ve been more.
Ben Brannan was the standout on the day, more than justifying his selection in the starting XI. He scored the first of the afternoon, with fellow debutant Djenairo Daniels sweeping home on 79 minutes for a goal of his own.
The Dutch striker – who signed on Monday – struck on his left-foot following a ball flashed across the face of goal by Marley Watkins. He looked keen to get involved, with two great chances falling his way less than a minute after he entered the pitch from the bench.
While it was the perfect outcome, it was hardly the perfect performance. At this stage of proceedings though, nobody was expecting that, not least Kettlewell and his coaching staff.
The most important thing was taking three points down the road from a tricky test before heading into what will likely be the Group H decider against Livingston next Wednesday night.
It’s still too early to read deeply into what we’re seeing, but Kettlewell, along with the fans, will be pleased to have four wins from five games so far under his watch during this pre-season period.
Brilliant Brannan
If there’s anything to take away from this match, it’s that Ben Brannan is a player. A debut to remember for the defender.
Derek McInnes told us the 18-year-old would have a big part to play for Ayrshire’s finest this season.
On the basis of today, what we saw against Ayr, his loan at Inverness, and even what we witnessed during the Scottish Youth Cup final, the academy product is ready to be thrust into the starting XI by Kettlewell.
The teen played wing back on either side of the pitch, initially starting in his natural right-wing-back role, before being swapped to the left for Jamie Brandon in a tactical alternation by the boss.
Brannan was tidy on the ball, looking to move it up the pitch, while also having the maturity to know when a forward pass wasn’t on, so passed it into midfield or back to Lewis Mayo. He wasn’t afraid to take his man on, and his positional sense looked spot on too.
To cap off a fantastic first senior appearance Brannan scored to set Killie on their way to all three points.
His finish for the goal was wonderful. The ball was floated in for Bruce Anderson from right wing by Greg Kiltie after a period of sustained pressure. It was deflected slightly out to the left of the box, but it wasn’t clear as in came Brannan to fire home with a powerful first-time finish on his right foot into the near bottom corner.
An already confident boy, he took the remainder of his time on the pitch – only subbed off for Kyle Magennis on 82 minutes – in his stride.
It was an extremely promising start by the youngster. Hopefully, we see more of him in the rest of the cup matches before seeing if he’s set to take the Scottish Premiership by storm.
Lack of balance
As fantastic as Brannan was, there was a glaring issue with the team’s set-up prior to his finish on 38 minutes.
Brandon started the game at left-wing-back, when, of course, he’s naturally a right-wing-back, or even a defensive midfielder.
The former Livi captain can do a job there, of no doubt. That’s all well and good away to Brora Rangers in the League Cup, and pre-season matches, however, when it comes to the real deal in August, Killie will need a solution.
He looked uncomfortable playing in the role he was tasked with from the start until the aforementioned tactical change after 35 minutes. That’s not just an early pre-season problem.
Brannan looked far better equipped to fill in on the left flank, so his display of versatility at such a young age is positive.
It’s not where Kettlewell will get the best out of him though, so whether the plan is to play Corrie Ndaba in that position, or if it’s to play him in the back three and recruit a left-wing-back in the remainder of the window, it’s currently a weak area of the team.
Kyle Magennis can also fill in, but it’s hard to shake the gut feeling that a left-footed player should be utilised to fully tap into the attacking full-back system.
Pre-season mode
The group games at this stage are essentially glorified pre-season friendlies.
There’s nothing new there, we’re all well-versed in how this process of the competition works having been involved in all but two of the group stage campaigns since its introduction by the SPFL in 2016.
As a result, it’s understandable that there were slack passes aplenty, and loose touches across the pitch, particularly in midfield and the final third when the attackers tried to force pressure on Brora’s goal.
Things tailed out at various points throughout the 90 minutes, but in small spells, the players were clearly trying to carry out the manager’s game-plan, showing things they’d evidently worked on in training with a few neat interchanges and passages of play.
Scott Tiffoney ought to have scored when played through one-on-one just after the half-hour mark, but he tried to round the goalkeeper and wasted the chance. Robbie Deas also had a golden opportunity to score with a back-post header, but he seemingly got mixed up with fellow defender Mayo in going to attack the ball.
It’s difficult to expect anything other than a disjointed performance while the player build their fitness, match sharpness and cohesion with one another. Especially when there were so many debuts, including; Eddie Beach, George Stanger, Brandon, Brannan, Tiffoney, Kiltie and Daniels.