Kilmarnock finished off the season in fine style with a comprehensive
4-0 win over desperate Dunfermline in their Bank of Scotland Premier
League clash at Rugby Park.
A Gary Locke header gave the home side an interval lead but as the
Fifers collapsed after the restart, Rhian Dodds, Kris Boyd and Gary
McDonald all scored to seal the victory.
Despite being helped no end by the visitors' lethargy, it was a
convincing victory for the Ayrshire side who confirmed their 'best of
the rest' seventh-place status in the SPL.
It had been 130 league matches since Kilmarnock had been involved in
a goalless draw so the fans who rolled up to Rugby Park looked forward
to seeing some goals before they headed off for the summer.
Willie Young, who was in charge for the last time before retirement, was
applauded onto the park by the players and officials of both teams.
Kilmarnock skipper Gary Locke met a 26th minute Peter Leven corner
and from six yards bulleted a header in for his first goal of the
campaign.
The first action of the second half saw Kris Boyd set up midfielder
Rhian Dodds for a simple side-foot finish.
Boyd added a third from close range and Gary McDonald
produced a neat
finish after good work from Steven Naismith.
Dunfermline's superior goal difference meant they started the day
safe in the knowledge that only a set of freak results could send them
down.
But they gave their fans a nervous time of it with a shoddy defensive
display.
The first real action did not arrive until the 13th minute when
Killie midfielder Leven fashioned himself some space before thrashing a
powerful 25-yard shot just over the crossbar.
Kilmarnock forced a couple of corners in quick succession and from
the Leven's second in the 26th minute, they stole into the lead from an
unlikely source.
The delivery from the right was met sweetly by Locke, whose header
from six yards found its way through Dunfermline's defenders and into
the net.
It was the former Hearts' player's first goal of the season, a fine
way to celebrate his new two-year deal signed on Friday.
Leven's 40th-minute free-kick from 30 yards was saved easily by Derek
Stillie as a poor first half petered out.
The home side doubled their lead just 30 seconds after the restart
with the simplest of goals.
Gary Wales fired in a low cross from the right which was laid off by
Boyd to the waiting Dodds and the midfielder calmly stroked the ball
home from 12 yards.
It was Dodd's first goal for the Ayrshire club and it stunned the
visitors although they should have pulled a goal back five minutes
later.
Derek Young cut the ball back from the bye line on the right hand
side to brother Darren who was unmarked but the Pars midfielder scuffed
his shot wide of the target from eight yards.
In the 54th minute, as Dunfermline's defence crumbled, Kilmarnock
grabbed a third goal when Boyd diverted Naismith's cross-come-shot.
Ten minutes later, with the Fifers defence all over the place,
Naismith set up the unmarked McDonald on he right hand side and the
Killie midfielder, playing out of position at right back, shot into the
far corner of the net.
The Rugby Park men were toying with the ragged visitors now and
Locke's 30-yard
thunderbolt, which sailed high over the crossbar in the
76th minute, ended an almost embarrassing spell of possession by the
home side, as Killie played Brazilian style "samba-esque"
football.
The four goal victory was Killie's best of the
04-05 campaign, hence the inclusion of this game into our "Classic
Killie Matches"!! A couple of other points of interest were that
Killie sported their new o5-6 home kit, and introduced the
1964-65 League
Championship winning side to the fans at half time, which was
nothing but sheer class!!
Kilmarnock: Combe, Fowler, Hay, Greer
,
Locke, McDonald, Dodds, Leven (Murray 73), Naismith (Johnston 73), Wales
(Nish 81), Boyd. Subs Not Used: Smith, Hamill, Loy, Wild.
Goals: Locke 26, Dodds 46, Boyd 54,
McDonald 64.
Att: 5,100
Jim Jefferies Post Match
Comments.... "I'm delighted. We had a wee
chat with the players as we were going into the last five games, our
target was to finish seventh because it was important to the club.
It was also important to them that they showed they have got
improvement in them and they have done that.
We couldn't ask for a better way to finish the season in front our fans
and we sent them home happy looking forward to next season.
We're a young side and we've got the potential to improve."
