Killie suffered only their third league defeat to Aberdeen in the
last 11 but their fourth successive SPL defeat on the trot.
Goals from Zander Diamond and Steve Tosh gave the Dons the lead at
half-time.
Leigh Hinds added a third after the break before Colin Nish's
consolation.
Killie's cause was not helped by losing Greg Shields and Kris Boyd to
injury before half-time and a missed penalty from Nish.
Paterson had made two changes to the side that drew with Livingston
last weekend, replacing young midfielders Fergus Tiernan and Scott
Muirhead with Richard Foster and Diamond.
Kilmarnock boss Jim Jefferies was without injured goalkeeper Francois
Dubourdeau and was forced to bring in teenager Craig Sampson because of
illness to Colin Meldrum.
He made two other changes after three defeats, replacing Stephen
Murray and Gary McSwegan with Gary Locke and Kris Boyd.
Aberdeen started brightly and scored the opening goal in the seventh
minute, with defender Diamond opening his account for the club by
heading home Scott Morrison's free-kick.
Kilmarnock had to make a substitution in the 24th minute, when
Shields was stretchered off with an injured knee to be replaced with
James Fowler.
They suffered another blow 11 minutes later, when Boyd limped off
after a challenge from Chris Clark and was replaced with Martin Hardie.
Killie should have drawn level within a minute when referee Hugh
Dallas awarded them a penalty after Markus Heikkinen fouled Peter Canero
inside the area.
Nish stepped up to take it, but his poor effort was saved by David
Preece.
His misery was compounded when Tosh added another for the Dons on the
stroke of half-time, his low, curling effort finding the far corner of
the net.
Aberdeen almost added a third in spectacular style, when Booth
managed to curve his body and get on the end of a Morrison corner only
for his attempted hook at the back post to clear the crossbar.
Hinds added Aberdeen's third in the 60th minute, after intelligently
following in on a Morrison shot from 25 yards out.
Samson was unable to hold on to the youngster's rasping effort and
spilled it into the path of Hinds, who accepted his gift and knocked the
ball into the net from four yards.
Nish reduced the deficit for the visitors with eight minutes left,
nodding Garry Hay's free-kick into the net at the back post.
Killie:
Samson, Shields (Fowler 24 mins), Greer
,Dindeleux, Hay , Canero , Fulton Locke (Murray 60 mins), McDonald, Nish
Boyd (Hardie, 35 mins)
Subs
Not Used: Smith & Invincibile
Attendance: 11,698
