Victory in Dundee would be worth more than three points for Killie
Kilmarnock have won just one of their last 10 domestic matches - and with tougher games ahead - they need to end that run.
Managers and players always tend to use the same old rhetoric that a win’s a win no matter who it’s against or the circumstances that play out.
But three points for Kilmarnock, who travel to Dens Park for a fourth time in a little over 12 months tomorrow, would be so much more than that.
The need for a victory by hook or by crook is edging towards the desperate side of things for Derek McInnes’ men.
I’m not taking Saturday’s game in isolation when I say that. It’s when you look at the over-arching stuttering form over a period of months and the run of five very tricky fixtures that lie ahead in October and November.
Killie have registered just one victory from their last 10 domestic matches.
Of course, there are nuances to that run - such as the club’s European commitments with all of the additional challenges that brought and being on the beach with two games to spare last season - but the stat makes for rather grim reading for fans of Ayrshire’s finest.
The win came in the third game of last season’s split, as Kyle Vassell scored the only goal in a well-earned 1-0 in Paisley against close rivals St Mirren.
McInnes and his players pulled off a tremendous victory in Tromso to progress to the Europa Conference League play-off round this summer, absolutely.
It’s a night we’ll forever remember as fans - especially those who were lucky enough to be in the Arctic Circle to witness Joe Wright’s header in the flesh.
Even if we account for the European run, though, then it hardly improves the outlook with two wins from 16 games.
Those scenes of celebration in Norway, and the thousands that travelled to Bruges and Copenhagen are what we all want to re-live time and time again - hopefully, even next summer.
Granted, while it’s still very early doors in the 2024/25 season, ultimately, failure to turn draws into wins will put paid to those dreams.
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The ship undoubtedly steadied considerably since FC Copenhagen put the club out of Europe at the end of August. It’s been four straight stalemates since then, that night included.
We’re all keen to forget the early season defeats to Celtic, St Johnstone, Motherwell and Aberdeen.
Thankfully, some much better performances against St Mirren and Dundee United have helped in doing so, albeit, both matches (for various reasons) should’ve ended with two green W’s next to Killie’s name.
Especially last week, being 3-1 up at Rugby Park, it felt like a defeat and two points dropped. The 1-1 draw against Hibernian was a point gained though, make no mistake about it.