Kilmarnock

Were you at Celtic Park or following the match elsewhere?

Either way, we want your views on the game - have your say here.

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter at Celtic Park

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The fight really begins for Kilmarnock and every side in the bottom six now in the five post-split fixtures.

The Rugby Park side have not won away to Celtic since 2012 and ending that run was always unlikely. Within 10 minutes it was a crisis management exercise in damage limitation.

Kilmarnock barely had the ball, couldn't get away from their box and very rarely got over halfway. It was the sort of afternoon no footballer wants to experience, never mind fans.

Goal difference may prove crucial - second-bottom Dundee are just a point behind before facing Hibernian on Sunday - and the second half game-management may prove helpful.

You look at this Kilmarnock squad and think they should have enough to avoid trouble, but they are right in it as things stand.

This was an afternoon they'll want to forget, regroup and get on with the job in hand.

The Scottish FA key match incident panel has not backed the decision to overturn 24-year-old Motherwell defender Kofi Balmer's red card against Kilmarnock. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Celtic winger Yang Hyun-Jun will miss several weeks with an elbow injury, while Kasper Schmeichel remains out with a shoulder injury.

Kilmarnock will be missing Rory McKenzie (thigh) but Lewis Mayo has a chance of shaking off a knee injury. Kyle Vassell was back on the bench last week and ready to feature, while Tom Wilson-Brown is a doubt.

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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Killie's Fraser Murray says taking more risks has helped him pitch in with recent goals for the Rugby Park side.

The wide player, sometimes deployed in a wingback or winger role, had not scored in 18 months before netting against Hearts in January, but he now has four goals across his last nine matches for Derek McInnes' side.

"I have been trying to add that to my game," the 25-year-old said.

"The manager spoke to me and wanted me to try to add some more goals, and thankfully, the last few weeks, I have managed to get a few.

"Being a wide player, sometimes wide players can often get caught not being in the box or just staying out of the box, waiting on the ball.

"So I've just been gambling more and making sure I'm in the box in the right positions."

With Killie still very much in the relegation fight, every goal matters. Murray's contributions have been timely, too.

He scored a late equaliser against his former club Hibs, scored the second goal in a 3-1 win over St Johnstone, and then struck the first goal in last Saturday's 2-0 win against Motherwell.

He added: "Obviously, the goal against Hibs came at a perfect time and the goal on Saturday gave us the confidence to kick on in the game.

"The next six games, hopefully, I will add more goals and help the team."

Despite being six points clear of the bottom side St Johnstone, they're only one point above the relegation playoff spot. Murray wants his team-mates to keep fighting for a result this weekend, despite visiting the runaway league leaders Celtic on Saturday.

"I don't think the pressure's off," he said, looking ahead to facing Celtic.

"It would be silly of us to go into any game thinking that we can't win it.

"We've had a good week training, so we will all be going into the game hoping we can get something from it, and we'll obviously be going there and trying to do the best we can."

Celtic could still win a 13th Scottish top-flight title in 14 seasons this weekend, despite their shock defeat away to St Johnstone last Sunday.

Victory at home against Kilmarnock on Saturday would be sufficient to confirm the arithmetic should Rangers lose at Aberdeen the following day.

The Ibrox side are almost certain to clinch the second Champions League place, but four points from their final six matches would confirm it.

Whoever finishes third and fourth will also be in Europe, as will the division's fifth-placed side should the Scottish Cup winners be one of the Premiership's top four.

The fight for the final top-six place will go to the final game before the split, with one of Hearts, Motherwell or St Mirren claiming it.

Hearts visit Fir Park one point in front of their hosts and the Paisley side, who take on Ross County.

The two teams missing out could yet be sucked into a relegation battle.

Bottom side St Johnstone are now five adrift of Dundee and six behind Kilmarnock and Ross County. Motherwell and St Mirren are a further three points ahead.

With the teams all playing each other again post-split, there is still plenty scope for movement between now and 18 May.

Killie fans, with the final top-six and bottom-six spots yet to be decided, we asked who you'd most like to avoid in the split.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Gio: At home, none of the three but Motherwell away can be a dour game at times.

Anon: I don't fear any of the sides in the bottom six. We are all as bad/good as each other. Killie in top gear at Rugby Park will probably beat any of the others. St Mirren will probably be looking at Killie, wondering if last week's score could end up reversed.

Frank: Nobody. Looks like we are back in contention to be top of the bottom six.

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Kilmarnock have been handed a boost by the news that Rory McKenzie's injury is not as bad as first feared.

The midfielder went off with a thigh issue against Motherwell last weekend in his first start since August.

However, a positive diagnosis comes as a "godsend" for manager Derek McInnes before their Premiership match against Celtic on Saturday.

"Rory is probably going to miss Saturday's game," McInnes said. "He's got a slight tear in his thigh. Thankfully, it's not as bad as we'd thought.

"Initially, after the game last Saturday, we were fearing the worst with it, but we've been treating that as a grade one, which is normally 10 to 16 days. So hopefully he'll just miss the one game, which has been a bit of a godsend for us."

Defender Lewis Mayo is also a doubt, but has a chance of featuring against the league leaders.

"He's not trained with the squad this week," McInnes said. "He's done a lot of work with the physio so we're just trying to limit the impact on his knee but we're hoping he's fine for the weekend."

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• Celtic have only lost one of their past 18 league games against Kilmarnock (W15 D2), a 1-2 defeat away from home in December 2023.

• In all competitions, Kilmarnock have only won one of their past 85 away games against Celtic (D18 L66), winning 2-0 in October 2012 under Kenny Shiels.

• Celtic have lost three of their past six league games (W3), more than their previous 46 beforehand (W38 D6 L2). The Hoops could lose successive league fixtures for the first time since December 2023 – one of which was against Kilmarnock (1-2).

• Kilmarnock have picked up just nine points in their 16 away league games this season (W2 D3 L11), the fewest of any Scottish Premiership side. Killie are winless in their last 10 on the road in the competition (D2 L8), losing their last five.

• Kilmarnock's Fraser Murray has scored two goals in his past three Scottish Premiership appearances, as many as his previous 73 beforehand.

With one round of pre-split fixtures remaining, the final position of three teams is yet to be finalised.

So, with every post-split game crucial to your side's survival, who would you rather avoid in the bottom six: Hearts, St Mirren, or Motherwell?

Tell us why via this link and come back later in the week to see what your fellow fans are thinking.

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

Kilmarnock gained a well deserved win against Motherwell on Saturday, and with Dundee and St Johnstone both winning it was very much needed.

The scrap in the bottom six has never been tighter, so if you're a fan of any club out with these sides then dig out the popcorn, sit back and watch the drama unfold between now and the end of the season.

Our starting line-up included five changes from our abomination in Paisley and once again the formation was changed midway through the first half.

Finally with round pegs in round holes we looked solid and dominated the visitors who went down to 10 men in that first period.

The manager had previously stated that Bruce Anderson and Bobby Wales couldn't play together, well they did on Saturday and both put in fine performances.

Wales is a classy youngster and it's a crying shame if he doesn't put pen to paper on a new contract.

We travel to Parkhead this weekend and it goes without saying that anything we get is a bonus.

All things being equal, we'll get three home games after the split and then the nerves will be properly tested.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

They may have got a helping hand with Motherwell controversially reduced to 10 men, but Kilmarnock secured a big win on Saturday.

A rolled-up sleeves performance from Joe Wright, which included a goal, earns the defender a spot in my team of the week.

Watch Sportscene analysis of Kilmarnock's Scottish Premiership win over Motherwell.

Watch highlights as Kilmarnock win 2-0 against 10-man Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

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We asked for your views on Kilmarnock's 2-0 win against Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said:

Amy: As much as Derek McInnes deserved criticism last week, he deserves praise for the win. A brave decision and bringing Rory McKenzie back into the midfield was a masterstroke. Sending off similar to what Corrie Ndaba went for last season so rules are rules. Would rather be in this fight with McInnes than nearly anyone else.

Peter: Great all-round display from Killie. Stuart Findlay was superb and McKenzie was outstanding and set the tone. Let's take all the positives from this performance and finish the season strongly. Come on Killie.

Anna: A much better performance and a much more solid defence than we've had. Midfield were decent enough and it was nice to see Bruce Anderson up front with Fraser Murray. And with Kyle Vassell fit again, I feel we have a pretty good chance of avoiding the dreaded relegation play-offs, onwards and upwards.

Robert: Much improved performance. More energy throughout the team and great to see Danny Armstrong more like himself. Never seen a referee stop a game to allow the goalkeeper to go to dressing room for new gloves? Are gloves compulsory? Not the only weird decision from ref.

Robert: It was good to have a win, another abysmal refereeing performance, however, it is nice to see Kilmarnock getting a break. Same ref missed the assault on Vassell when playing St Mirren. More fight and glad Findlay and McKenzie were playing.

James: A much better display from Killie. The team had good balance and the return of Findlay brought a solid look to the defence. Armstrong and Murray were great and the partnership of Anderson and Bobby Wales up front shows a lot of promise. Hopefully we can kick on and get a few more wins.

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• Motherwell have failed to win in their last three games in the Premiership, their last longer winless streak was from 8 January 2025 to 22 February 2025, a run of six games.

• Kilmarnock have scored in each of their last three games in the Premiership, scoring four goals in that run.

• Ellery Balcombe made eight saves in this game, his highest total in a single match in the Premiership.

• Daniel Armstrong has assisted five goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), more than any other Kilmarnock player.

Ten-man Motherwell's Scottish Premiership top-six hopes could be killed off on Sunday after Kilmarnock grabbed a much-needed victory at Rugby Park.

The match turned on a four-minute spell in the first half when Fraser Murray put Kilmarnock in front, before Kofi Balmer was controversially sent off for a challenge on the goalscorer.

Joe Wright deftly headed in Danny Armstrong's corner eight minutes into the second half to bolster Kilmarnock's advantage, which they comfortably held on to.

What did you make of Kilmarnock's performance? Does it give you encouragement for the run in?

Share your views.

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: "Sometimes Scottish football just needs you to be efficient. Don't make mistakes. On the back of last week we needed to be that type of team.

"I thought we were the better team when they had 11 men, and I thought we were professional and efficient when they went down to 10 men.

"There was a lot of drama but we stayed professional and stayed calm and dealt with the game. The second goal allowed us to breathe a bit easier. And they only registered their first shot on target in the dying embers of the game.

"It's great to get a clean sheet and a few boys back who have been out for a long time. I thought it looked a bit more like us. Just be efficient, get on with the job and get the job done."

McInnes thought Kofi Balmer's challenge "didn't look good", pointing out he catches Fraser Murray around the knee.

Though he believes Dominic Thompson's sending off should have stood, and was "more of a red card" than Balmer's challenge.

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

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This was a valuable victory for Kilmarnock and Derek McInnes, who made five changes to his team in response to the 5-1 hammering by St Mirren last week, a fourth defeat in five games which set alarm bells ringing.

Such was the tension created after that loss, a smattering of fans held up a banner as the teams emerged at Rugby Park which read: 'Relegation Pending'.

But after a scrappy start it was Killie who got the crucial breakthrough.

They won the ball on the edge of the Motherwell box, Bobby Wales lashed a low shot off a post and when the visitors panicked, they pounced.

Danny Armstrong laid it across goal, and goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe parried the ball to Murray, who slotted home.

The red card for Kofi Balmer was a gift, but one Kilmarnock gleefully accepted as they pressed home their advantage.

The only disappointment is they did not score more goals, and that Dundee below them also registered a victory in the battle to avoid the drop.

The return of Stuart Findlay to the defence and captain and striker Kyle Vassell to the bench are big boosts for McInnes for the run in.

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Kilmarnock skipper Kyle Vassell (ankle) and Kyle Magennis (knee) remain sidelined while on-loan Leicester defender Tom Wilson-Brown has picked up a knock.

Motherwell are without the ill Liam Gordon, while Marvin Kaleta returned to training on Thursday after injury and illness.

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (broken wrist), Shane Blaney, Sam Nicholson (both knee), Jack Vale (Achilles), Steve Seddon (ankle), Ross Callachan (hamstring), Paul McGinn (thigh), Zach Robinson (Achilles) and Archie Mair (hand) remain sidelined for Well.

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Stuart Findlay hopes his return to fitness can coincide with an upturn in Kilmarnock's form as they look to pull away from the Premiership relegation battle.

Derek McInnes' side are 10th in the league, one point above Dundee in the play-off and six above bottom club St Johnstone with two matches until the split.

Killie host Motherwell on Saturday and having come off the bench in last weekend's heavy defeat by St Mirren, Findlay is ready to make his first start in five months.

"I've trained well in the last couple of weeks, everything's going well," the 29-year-old defender said.

"It'll be between the manager and the physio staff if they think I'm ready to start.

"If they deem that I'm ready and the manager wants to select me, then happy days, but we'll see how that goes by the end of the week.

"I'm feeling good and I'm really excited to try and get back out there and start helping the team more than I've been able to in the last couple of months.

"It's a case of how can I help the team? How can everybody that's coming back from fitness help the team and get ourselves all together and put a good run of performances and results together between now and the end of the season?"

While Findlay was delighted to make his first appearance since suffering ligament damage against Dundee in November, he says the performance and result in Paisley was unacceptable.

"It was a massive personal milestone for me to get back into the playing squad," he said.

"It's been a long old road since I got injured at Dens. There's no point beating around the bush, it was definitely not the result or performance that we wanted.

"We've got a good opportunity back at home to get three points on the board and I think we're all ready to set the record straight after last week."

How the Killie Cheerleaders are an integral part of the matchday experience at Rugby Park.

This segment is taken from the Friday, 4 April episode of A View From The Terrace. Watch on iPlayer or BBC Scotland at 22:30 BST.