Good Luck to the U19's

Let’s get a big crowd into Rugby Park on Monday night (10th May 7.30pm) as Killie under 19’s take on Rangers in the youth Cup final. It’s been a terrific achievement by the lads and it speaks volumes about the good work done by Alan Robertson and the rest of the youth coaches.

Rangers are very strong at youth level and will be hard to beat but we may just have one or two players that can spark a famous victory. Stephen Naismith and John Paul Boyle are the strikers who have scored the bulk of our goals over the season and “kid goals” Naismith has made a big impression. The Stewarton lad has reportedly caught the eye of some big clubs so Killie need to move quick and get him signed up on a decent deal.

In recent weeks both Masterton and Gilroy have picked up nasty looking injuries and there has to be a doubt over their participation. Both have played well this season and will be a big loss if they fail to make it. Another name to look out for is young Thomas Coyne whose father is none other than former Republic of Ireland striker Tommy. He scored a cracker on Monday night as Killie lost 2-1 to Dundee in the under 21 league – a chip off the old block perhaps as his dad scored plenty.

All Killie fans should note season tickets are NOT VALID for this game – entrance is £5 for adults and £2 concessions. The main stand will be open and will be segregated giving roughly 2000 seats to each set of fans. If there is an overspill the lower Chadwick will be opened for Rangers fans or the lower Moffat will be opened for Killie fans. I’m hoping a large crowd will head over and the Moffat will need to be opened to cope with the pressure.

Help Needed For Supporter's Clubs?

It’s no secret that football is an expensive business these days and fans all over the country are choosing to stay away from their local grounds. Killie are no different but it’s particularly worrying that some of our older established supporters clubs are struggling to survive. I was speaking to my big mate “Sam fae Catrine” who never misses a game and always travelled with the Mauchline Supporters Club.

Mauchline are a well established and well run club who are based in the Kilmarnock Supporters Club, many a good night has been spent in that particular venue. Sadly due to a fall in numbers the bus has stopped running this season although there is some hope that it will hit the road again next season. The Ardrossan branch is another long established and well run supporters club but they too have run into some difficulties. A big part of the problem for these outlying areas is they are obliged to run buses to home games and they have stopped the home buses for the time being as they were losing money. You don’t have to be a genius to work out a reduction in fans going to games results in an increasing number of seats on the bus and the funds soon dwindle.

There’s no easy solution for these clubs but I’m sure if everyone gets round the table we could look at helping each other. The club needs to be more proactive in working with all these clubs and looking at what they can do to help. Quite simply the club benefits financially if they get more bums on seats so the time is right to get round the table and help each other. Fans can help out at well by supporting their local supporters club, leave the car at home and do your bit by going on a supporters bus.

Ardrossan will pick up at most towns and villages between their base and the Theatre of Pies. The Ayr and Prestwick lads still run their bus and again will pick up so why not give them a call and get signed up. We’ll perhaps try to organize a meeting between the club and supporters clubs and I’m sure the Supporters Association can play a part in the whole process.

Having helped run the Howard bus for a number of years we’ve always found fundraising is essential and easily the most profitable function is a race night. It’s maybe an idea to organize a race night for each club in conjunction with KFC who can send some players along to boost numbers. A well organized race night can race in excess of £1000 and would give clubs a decent amount of money to kick off the season.

The guys and gals that travel to games are the hardcore support of our beloved club and it’s time we all started singing from the same hymn sheet. I’ll be speaking to the club this week and will put forward some of the points raised to get their reaction. In the meantime good luck to all you clubs out there and if you ever need any publicity give me a call on the following number. Sandy 0774 7718754

Ayr & Prestwick POTY

THE Player of the year events are in full swing and I was lucky enough to make it along to the Park Hotel after the Livi game for the presentation to Freddy “Le God” Dindeleux. The Ayr and Prestwick branch work hard at running buses and a few pounds were raised on the night that should stand them in good stead for the new season.

Freddy came along with Eric Skora and commercial manager Colin Fraser and the cameras were flashing vigorously as the popular Frenchman collected his award and gave a “thank you” speech. I took the opportunity to try and grab an exclusive about Freddy’s future at Killie however he was going to be speaking this week to the club to establish if/when a new contract will be offered.

Thanks for a great wee gig folks and if you’d like to travel on the bus get in touch as follows - Chas on 01563 830026 (e-mail: kfc@homechas.fsnet.co.uk), Matt McColm on 01292 479621 or Craig Jardine on 07762 882005.

Season Ticket Share Centre

NOW that the details of the 2004-05 season ticket deal has been announced (£280 as predicted) we thought we would bring back the Share Centre for use by killiefc.com punters who need to find someone to ‘buddy-up’ with. The Share Centre is un-official and is in no way associated with the club and killiefc.com do not take any responsibility for any transactions that take place.

B&H will NOT be running a full scale Share Centre this season as we are not in agreement with the way this season’s deal has been structured. That said, we still wish them all the best and hope that the club can market the deal well enough to emulate last season’s success. If you do go online to try and get a match then please be careful when giving out any personal details or arranging to meet anyone...you can never be too safe.

Best Wishes Hoody

The joy of thumping Livi last week was tempered somewhat by the news that the club is releasing Alan Mahood. Hoody is a Killie fan as well as a quality player but he’s had a terrible time with injuries this season. That’s probably been the major factor in no new contract being offered and the manager is looking to emerging youngsters like Rhian Dodds and Gary McDonald to fill the midfield slots.

We’ve spoken to Hoody on several occasions and he was the proud recipient of many POTY awards during his spell at the Theatre of Pies. He always took time to speak to the fans and he actually looked as if he enjoyed himself at the functions – many players hang around for half an hour then vanish!

There is a long list of goodwill messages to Hoody on Killiefc.com and it’s hard to find a Killie fan who has a bad word to say about him. All the best from “B&H” Alan and we hope you get fixed up with a new club soon – just don’t try too hard if you come back to face us with a new team.

Killie Trust News

The Trust committee is working hard behind the scenes to raise money and last Saturday saw the “Fifty for the Future” initiative get off to a flying start. The Trust are hoping to sponsor the Killie Under 16’s next season as they are keen in helping youth development at the club. The idea is that they collect 50p for every seat in the Theatre of Pies and the Trust guys were scattered around the ground with their buckets. They collected almost £1100 and will be at every home game collecting until the target is reached. Remember to stick a 50p in your pocket every time you leave for a home game and throw it in a bucket as you go through the turnstiles.

K.S.A. Meeting

The latest meeting of the Kilmarnock Supporters Association is being held in the Killie Club on Thursday 6th May with a 7.30pm kick off. The club has been invited along to answer any questions so hopefully Davie Mackinnon will be there. You don’t have to be a member to attend so get along and find out what’s going on at the Theatre of Pies.

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