Shop Til You Drop

I met up with the Killie Connections girls again last Friday and they tell me the shop continues to do a roaring trade. One of the ideas to commemorate the 40th anniversary of our league win was a special limited edition shirt and Josie tells me this is proving very popular with the fans. The shirt will be a modern day version of the famous blue and white stripes worn on that famous day ay Tynecastle on April 24th 1965.

The shirt will include the name of every Killie player to have pulled on the famous jersey as well as the name of every fan who purchases the top. All you need to do is go into the Killie Connections and pay a £5.00 deposit towards the total cost of £35.00. This will get your name on the top and will guarantee your own shirt, they will be on sale around the end of October.

As well as the commemorative tops the shop has lots of new stock including Killie curtains, Killie duvet covers plus brand new baseball caps and hats. I took the opportunity to ask Josie about the new away strips and the good news is we’ll be able to wear them on our summer holidays. The strips resemble Real Madrid tops being mainly white with purple piping and should be in the shop around the end of May or beginning of June. Rumours that we will sign Beckham just in time to model them are inaccurate although Ronaldo has been spotted house hunting in New Farm Loch!!!

Eric Skora - BOGOF!

Last Thursday saw the regular Supporters Association meeting being help in the Park Suite although the turn-out of fans was disappointing. All those who stayed at home missed a very entertaining meeting with Colin Fraser and Eric Skora representing the club. The meeting opened with Colin Fraser being asked to bring us up to date with all the current news from the Theatre of Pies.

Colin stated the Season Ticket sales are slow at present but it’s early days and perhaps to be expected as fans have until the end of June to take advantage of the discounted prices. The club is marketing the deal and anyone who bought a season before the last home game against Aberdeen would get a free pie & pint and be entered into a free prize draw.

Colin pointed out the season tickets would be on sale during normal office hours and they are looking at opening the office on Saturdays between 10.00am-2.00pm. A few fans raised concerns relating to the structure of the deal pointing out the “2 for 1” worked last year but would not work for a second time. Colin felt the deal being offered for the Moffat Stand would be a good seller – 2 adults + 2 kids for £250, old firm games not included. The club is hoping to run road shows around towns and villages in Ayrshire to promote the deal.

Colin was then asked about the lack of players who attend supporter’s dances and other functions. This has been a problem for a few years however Colin felt the club are addressing this issue. Irene Brown (KFCSA Secretary) praised the players who attended the recent Irvine Valley POTY dance and contributed to a highly enjoyable evening. Colin stressed that players do regular school visits and Youth Community coach Paul McDonald does a fine job in promoting the club.

Eric Skora was next to take centre stage and the likeable Frenchman was very eloquent in talking about the club and his time at Killie. He has enjoyed every minute of his loan spell and he would love to stay longer term. He has told this to both Jim Jefferies and Jamie Moffat however Craig Brown wants him back at Preston and he has two years left on his contract. Eric received a round of applause when he told the meeting that his brother plays in the French 2nd Division and is a very good player. He suggested, like the season ticket deal, we could buy one Skora and get one free.

Finally he praised the Killie fans for their support and encouragement throughout his time at Killie. He felt it was the crowd who lifted the players in the second half against Livingston and spurred the team to a great performance. The players feel it is important to have a healthy crowd at home games and Rugby Park is better than Deepdale where the fans get on the players backs very quickly.

I asked Colin about getting together with some supporters clubs, as we wrote in the column last week. There was a healthy discussion regarding how fans and the club should work closer to help each other and Colin hoped we could arrange some meetings in the near future. Irvine Valley is another bus feeling the strain and at this stage they are unsure if the bus will be running next season.

The meeting lasted around an hour and after discussing a few minor topics we all headed to the nearest TV to watch the Newcastle – Marseilles game. It was very interesting to hear Eric Skora’s comments and the guy seems to have a genuine affection for the club. I’d urge the club to do all they can to keep him or perhaps it’s an ideal opportunity for some businesses around the town to get together and do a deal to keep the player. We shouldn’t be bursting any wage structures to keep Eric but he’s a class act and a firm fan’s favourite – we may even grab his brother at the same time.

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