The crucial Bobby Wales Killie dilemma that needs solved

The 19-year-old has featured on eight occasions so far this season, but is it enough for him to flourish?

Bobby Wales reported back for Kilmarnock pre-season duty in a bullish mood this summer.

The 19-year-old returned to Rugby Park as a more polished striker having got 29 games under his belt with Alloa Athletic in League One last season.

He scored 14 goals and notched seven assists in that time. Indeed, it’s an impressive output for any attacking player at that level.

Derek McInnes was thrilled with the way Wales came back to the club during the summer; sharp, hungry and ready to take his chance.

The striker has made eight appearances so far in the 2024/25 campaign for Killie, with the vast majority of those 176 minutes coming off from the bench.

He scored the vital last-minute equaliser in the first leg of the Europa Conference League third qualifier against Tromsø. Rugby Park erupted as the crowd celebrated one of its own when Wales poked the ball home at the back-post.

"Bobby was actually coming into my thinking for the game, because where we wanted to play was not a traditional centre forward, alongside Vass, because of how expansive they are,” McInnes explained post-Tromsø.

"He's done himself no harm in terms of going forward. He's going to score loads of goals for Kilmarnock. I love the kid, I think he's doing so well.

“He did brilliantly at Alloa last season, he's had a really good pre-season. We introduced him at Celtic Park and he did a good job when he came on as well.

"He has a quiet confidence about him, which I really like about him. The more goals he scores, the more impact he can have on our team, the better for him."

Since those comments, Wales has been afforded just one start - which came in Norway for the second leg of that game - as he lasted 69 minutes on the field as he helped Kyle Vassell lead the line in the absence of Marley Watkins.

His other minutes can be attributed to half an hour’s extra time at Fir Park, 18 minutes in Denmark, 15 minutes in the return leg of that match and then 17 minutes as Killie salvaged a draw against Hibernian. He was an unused substitute against Aberdeen and St Mirren.

The glaringly obvious trend is that Wales is only being used for short spurts, which could stagnate his progress.

Now that we’re out of Europe and don’t need to manage the squad to anywhere near the same degree, barring long-term injury or suspension, that situation doesn’t look like changing.

This poses the question: Should Bobby Wales go out on loan until January?

Vassell and Watkins are the undisputed first picks for McInnes. Rightly so given their exploits last season where they contributed a combined 24 goals in all competitions - and that’s before you mention the leadership, pressing and other attributes they bring to the table.

Bruce Anderson is then factored into the equation. As one of the club’s more exciting summer additions, the former Livingston man has yet to be given a sustained run in the team.