Crunch time for Killie as they aim to rescue season

Rugby Park outfit gear up for bottom six challenge

- CALLUM CARSON

If a week is a long time in politics then a year can feel like an eternity in football.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. But just 12 months after sealing European football on a glorious sunny afternoon in Paisley, Kilmarnock have five games to secure an even more vital prize - Premiership survival. A campaign that started with 3000 Killie fans taking over Bruges could end in relegation.

While few would have been expecting a top four repeat, nobody would have believed you if you’d told them that Derek McInnes’ side would enter the post-split fixtures just a point above the relegation play-off spot.

They had the reigning Manager of the Year, the reigning Young Player of the Year and had kept the squad almost entirely intact.

The only departure of note was goalkeeper Will Dennis, who returned to Bournemouth at the end of his loan deal.

New arrivals Robby McCrorie and Bruce Anderson appeared on paper to be good signings.