Killie score
EIGHT!!. Jacko, Nish (2), McDonald, Invincible (2) Innes (2) all on the
scorecard. Nice to see the new boys getting among the goals early in their
Killie careers!
Carlisle 1
Kilmarnock 2
(Carlisle
July 26th 2003)
Having rolled over Durham and Gateshead on previous
stops on their brief tour south, his men were made to work much harder for
this win, perhaps a valuable jolt with the new campaign two weeks away.
Portsmouth and Sunderland, Premiership members new and displaced, visit
Rugby Park this week, and will provide a more stringent examination of how
improved Kilmarnock are, if at all.
All three summer signings were on show, early arrivals Colin Nish and
Martin Hardie joined by belated acquisition Danny Invincible. The
Australian under-21 international looks a useful addition, but it was
Kilmarnock defence which still looked most in need of remedial surgery,
Carlisle’s Brendan McGill and Chris Billy able easily to penetrate the
middle in the opening spell, their stealth and speed causing undue alarm.
Only slowly did the visitors awaken. In the 12th minute, Gary Hay’s cross
was met by Kris Boyd, who headed on to the bar, but Jefferies’ team had to
wait a little longer before imposing themselves on the score-line.
Invincible again was thwarted, his shot blocked, but it rebounded to
Stevie Fulton on the edge of the area, and he pushed the ball daintily
into goal.
Nish, Paul Di Giacomo and Gary Locke were introduced at half-time as
Jefferies began dispersal of his seven-man bench. And his ploy bore fruit
with half-an-hour left, Di Giacomo’s cross, dummied by Chris Innes,
scrambled home by Nish.
