Party Time!!

THE Fat Boys Slim Challenge Final Weigh-In will be at The Howard Arms (Glencairn Square) next Saturday afternoon, 17 April. The actual event will take place at 3pm and thereafter much alcoholic drink will be partaken of...a fine start to your day and then you could go to the Irvine Valley Supporters’ Player of the Year gig that night...

Garry ‘Hooky’ Hay wins this year and the event is held in the Morton Hall, Newmilns at 6.30 for 7.00pm. Tickets for the dinner dance (with Hollywood) are £17.50 and there will be a free bus home to Darvel, Galston, Hurlford and Kilmarnock. This is potentially their last ever dance which is sad news indeed so please make an effort and call Alan on 01560 322990 for tickets. Please note that the Ardrossan dance which was planned fot the same night has been re-scheduled, details are not yet available.

As for the afternoon events - we will try and put together a raffle or something but basically it's just a huge free for all piss up...and everybody is invited. It's been ten weeks without a sniff of the hard stuff for B&H so there's a good chance we'll be blubbering wrecks by 5.00pm. Old habits die hard! Details of the killiefc.com POTY won’t be announced until next month so we want to see you all there some Saturday.

The cash is still coming in and we will hopefully have a final count in a few weeks, so if you’ve got anything to hand in, then please do so now. Finally our thanks again to main sponsor Klin Homes, Brownings the Bakers, Kilmarnock UPVC Ltd, Millennium Vacations International, J.R.D. Partnership (Accountants), Fortress Security, Goldsmiths, Millennium Beauty, The Cut Above, Duncan McLean Solicitors, Ritchie (UK) Ltd. & Fitness First.

FC Killie Still In The Hunt

WE'VE had great difficulty this season trying to keep track of our ladies team as you couldn't follow them with radar! However, we had a word with club secretary Lynne Wason the other day to find out the state of play now that Jim Chapman has resigned and what's happening in general at the club.

Lynne said: "Chappie had to give it up due to increasing work commitments and we are all very sad to see him go. He was a great asset to the team but he's the kind of guy who isn't happy if he can't give something 100% and work comes first."

"Shelly Kerr, Lesley Fowler and myself are hoping to muddle through until the end of the season. We are kind of hoping that Chappie's situation will change and he will come back but that's probably just wishful thinking. We will be looking to find a replacement during the close season."

The SWPL fixture list has been reshuffled so many times this season that hardly anyone knows who they will face in their next game, Lynne commented: "The league as a whole is a bit of a shambles currently and they really need to get it sorted out. One of the biggest problems is that the Scotland squad have a training camp almost every week and we have so many internationals that we hardly get a full training session together ourselves."

She added: "With the European Championship qualifiers this year we are having to postpone matches every other week and that's a real pain as well. Bottom club, Shettleston, have now gone bust and any games they played have been voided. I'm not sure what will happen now, but with several new teams being entered into the third division there is a possibility that we could have up to four new teams in the Premier next year. Our divisional squad has also been promoted to the first as a result of league reconstruction despite not winning their division."

FC Killie have around six fixtures left to play and in a couple of weeks time they face Hibernian at Dalkieth Juniors ground in a match that will make or break their chances of retaining the title. Wason mused: "I think if we beat Hibs there is a chance it may all come down to goal difference in the end. It's good that there are three strong teams in the Premier League, Killie, Hibs and now the Debbie McWhinnie inspired Glasgow City. Hamilton are also a tidy outfit and we just managed to beat them 2-1 last week."

So what does the future hold for the team who have set the standards in the Scottish Women's game? Lynne said: "We hope to meet again with Davie Mackinnon and try and get a bit closer to the club. It would be great to play some games at Rugby Park but we realise that may not be possible if the Clyde deal goes ahead. There are at least four girls from the divisional side who will be brought through to the 'big' team but as for transfers it's a bit of a free for all in the close season. Hopefully things will be a bit better organised next year and we can concentrate on winning more silverware."

If you are one of the punters who refuse to go to an old firm game at Rugby Park then make your way along to Blair Park next Sunday (18th) to see the ladies take on Ross County. Of course we'd rather you went to Rugby Park but if your dead set against it then go see FC Killie...we insist.

Supporter's Night

THE tickets for the supporter's night on Thursday 22 April have gone really well but there are still some left if you are interested. The gig kicks off at 7pm in the Park Hotel and your £5 ticket will include a pie and a pint. Expect to meet Killie legends from the 50's, 60's, 70's 80's and 90's. The confirmed guest list at presents reads Davie Curlett, Campbell Forsyth, Roniie hamilton, Andy King, Stuart Layburn, Gerry Mays, Walter McCrae, jim McFadzean, jackie McGrory, Jackie McInally, Jock Murdoch, Davie Sneddon, Matt Watson, Steven Hamilton, Gus McPherson and Ray Montgomerie. There are others still to confirm so why not just get along and find out for yourself. You can call Kim on 01563 545305 right up until Thursday night to check availability and book your tickets.

Season Ticket Prices

THIS season is almost over with nothing left to play for except pride and attention is turning to building for next season…and that includes the fan base. We were informed of the club’s new season ticket plans last week, were very disappointed by them and are beginning to fear the worst. As the plans currently stand you can expect to pay £280 for an adult ST in the East or West Stand…discounted by £30 if you buy during the month of June. Failing that you can pay the full price and introduce a ‘new’ season ticket holder and share with them as was the case last season.

There are of course various packages for different age groups and the Moffat Stand. Effectively they are similarly priced to last season with a nominal increase but details are not finalised as yet…which is a bonus as they still have time to change things. We urge them to do so or given the huge hike for most punters from last term and the poor product on the park there could be a major backlash and a drop in numbers that the club can’t sustain.

We launched the Killie 125 campaign for last season because in our opinion the average football fan was being overcharged and priced out of the market. The campaign and the resultant sales went well and the club has clearly stated that things were successful on all fronts, even the walk-up figures (where they had anticipated a drop) were up. However, the plan was to get people back and keep them there and was only a short term measure, we were all well aware of that from the start. The second season was always going to be difficult and we feel that the club may be scoring a spectacular own goal if they forge ahead with the current deal as it stands.

We attended a meeting a few months ago with representatives from the club and other fan’s organisations and after several hours of debate decided on a plan of action to take to the board. The deal was a halfway house between the current BOGOF offer and paying the full boonah that we thought would suit the fans and the club - £175 straight up for a full price adult ST that was not transferable and included no cup games…and no hassle of having to find someone to share with. Obviously the board did not hold with the recommendation and opted for the deal mentioned above, but the reaction from fans so far has been very negative.

There have been several other ideas kicking about which are worth considering as well. A one-off fee for a kids season ticket (say £10) and then they get into every following game for £1. One we really liked was along the lines of the ‘bolt-on’ features you get for mobile phones. You could buy a ST for a basic unit price of £175 and add a pie every game or a programme every game, or a Killie Bond membership or any other club product…all for discount because the club are getting your cash up front. Then fans could pick and choose exactly what benefits they wanted, tailored to what they could afford. It could be another revolutionary move by Killie and another step closer to getting the fans back to Rugby Park.

No doubt there are many of us who will buy a season ticket regardless of how much they charge, but the number of us left who would is waning fast and we have to capture the imagination of the next generation of fans before they are lost to the game, or lost to other teams or sports for that matter. The only way to do that is to get them into the habit of coming to Rugby Park every other week and having a great season ticket deal is the first step. We pulled a flanker last season so let’s not let things slip this time around.

Read the B&H column in the Kilmarnock Standard every week