Off the field Kilmarnock’s efforts to swell the
crowd with a variety of the pre-match entertainment including face
painters, clowns and some dodgy karaoke pleased the kids and the hard of
hearing. On the pitch a five-star performance from the home team did
more than a thousand bouncy castles ever could to please the majority of
the punters and entice some along to future games.
Neither of these underachievers went into this clash in the best of
form, but quite a chasm in quality existed.
The visitors’ continuing rearguard frailties were there for all to see
inside the opening minute. Craig Dargo took advantage of
some over-generous visiting defence to kick-start the scoring with a
sharp finish at the near post, before sixty seconds had elapsed.
Dargo almost turned provider minutes later to send Kris Boyd roaring
through the heart of the Dons defence, only to see David Preece bravely
dive at the big striker’s feet. It was all Killie at this point with the
opening quarter of an hour being an almost unbelievably one-sided
affair.
The home team were denied a penalty soon after when referee John
Underhill failed to take action when Phil McGuire tripped Kris Boyd.
Aberdeen, in this period were utterly flaccid and simply weren’t at the
races, so it was a bolt out of the blue when they levelled through
former Celtic kid Bryan Prunty. Kilmarnock momentarily switched off at
the back allowing Steve Tosh to head across goal for Prunty to notch his
first senior goal, albeit after making very heavy weather of what was
initially something of a gimme.
Prunty’s goal must have been a sore one for the home side to take such
had been their
overwhelming dominance of the game, not to mention their track record of
losing silly goals and cheap points in front of their own fans. Any
worries of yet another home horror story were however quickly quashed
when Kris Boyd rose highest at an Eric Skora corner, and
planted a towering header into the net.
Buoyed by his goal, Boyd aided and abetted by Dargo and Skora started to
put the Dons through the mill as the interval neared. Boyd’s power,
Dargo’s burst of pace over short distances and Skora’s flashing feet
were ripping Aberdeen to ribbons. Only good goalkeeping by David Preece
kept his team in contention during this onslaught.
No doubt Steve Paterson had a few harsh words to share with his dismal
Dons at the interval, and on reappearing they seemed to have helped.
Leigh Hinds muscled his way into the area and forced a smart save from
Colin Meldrum. The resurgence didn’t last long though as Killie swiftly
reasserted a vice- like grip on the midfield area against a Aberdeen
team crying out for an on-field leader in the Willie Miller/Alex McLeish
mould.
Kilmarnock were inventive, sharp, purposeful and threatening - in short
everything their dreadful opponents weren’t. They also had in Kris Boyd,
who is reminiscent of Chris Sutton in style, a young frontman with all
the necessary tools of his trade who must surely be somewhere in the
thinking of Berti Vogts.
Boyd capped a wonderful display with his second strike of the game to
finally kill off Aberdeen with fourteen minutes left. David Preece, who
had enjoyed a decent game between the sticks, made a hash of dealing
with shot from distance, and when the ball broke back off the Englishman
Boyd was there to nail the rebound.... his 10th goal of the season!
It could have been even more comprehensive. Sub Colin Nish, was denied
by Preece, and Boyd saw the keeper thwart his attempts at a hat-trick
Kilmarnock: Meldrum, Lilley, Greer, Dindeleux, Murray, Hay,
Dargo, (McSwegan 65 min's), Fowler
,
Locke, (Dodds 16 min's), Skora, Boyd (Nish 87 min's).
Subs: Smith, McDonald
