Goals from Peter Canero and Kris Boyd at rain-soaked Rugby Park ended Motherwell's seven-game unbeaten run.  Even McBertie was present to see Ayrhire's finest!!

Killie boss Jim Jefferies made only one change to the side that won away to Partick Thistle, with striker Boyd coming in for Gary McSwegan.

Motherwell manager Terry Butcher fielded the same team for the 10th consecutive game.

Scorers inevitably grab the attention but it was Kilmarnock’s defensive solidity, and particularly the performance of Gordon Greer, which was the difference between the sides. Greer’s tackling and positional play was not only decisive and acute, but he also distributed the ball superbly.

“I thought he was outstanding,” his manager Jim Jefferies said later. “He’s a talker, he clears the ball when he has to and he passes the ball when he has to.” Berti Vogts was in the stand and, as the Killie coach noted, he would have gone back up the road with a few more considerations jotted down in his book.

The visitors seemed likely to adapt better to the wet conditions, but it was the home side who took the lead in the 12th minute.

Scotland Under-21 winger Peter Canero turned in from the right-hand side of the box and nutmegged Motherwell defender Steven Hammell.

Then, from an acute angle, he guided his left-foot shot past former Killie keeper Gordon Marshall and into the far corner of the net.

The goal gave confidence to the home side, but they were lucky not to concede a goal or have a man sent off when Clarkson broke clear of the home defence and bore down on the Killie goal.

Canero hauled him down at the edge of the box as the youngster shaped to shoot. Canero agreed that might have been the case. “I thought I just got a touch to the ball,” he said without any great conviction.

The resultant free-kick was little consolation for Well, with Francois Dubourdeau beating out a powerful Derek Adams drive.

The goalkeeper was, of course, playing against his old side, as was his opposite number. He had little to do in the game, a second-half punch, and a finger-tip scrape round the post to turn away a Steven Craig header.

Gordon Marshall was much the busier, and could not be faulted for either goal.

Steve Murray chased what seemed like two lost causes before the ball broke and caused consternation in defence, Kris Boyd picked it up and laid it to Colin Nish in space. The gangly big striker waited for his opportunity as Gordon Marshall went to ground in a hail of spray, then chipped the goalkeeper, only for the ball to slide past the right-hand post and the empty net.

Before the game Nish’s team-mates had presented him with an ironic present after a burst of midweek publicity about him, a shirt with the legend Van Nistelroy on the back. No doubt at half-time he ripped it to shreds. On this performance Berti Vogts would also be tearing his name from the book.

Another about whom he will surely put a question mark is Stephen Pearson, as will the watching Everton scout. The left-sided midfielder was quelled by Peter Canero and Greg Shields behind, the latter also deserving serious consideration. Pearson was substituted just after the hour, having had a day when nothing fell right for him.

Midfielder Gary McDonald blasted a 20-yard volley just over the bar as Killie created the better chances after the break.

The scoreline was doubled on the hour mark due, in part, to hesitancy in the Motherwell defence.

Colin Nish broke forward and played the ball out to the left to the busy Stevie Murray, with his wonderful close control burrowed past his markers on the flank and seemed to aquaplane over the ground, his curling cross taunted and looked to be falling perfectly for Kris Boyd, but Hammell managed to intrude, only to send the ball into the air and for the big striker, as he fell, to hook the ball home with his right from from eight yards out.

Motherwell defender Stephen Craigan could have pulled one back for the visitors after 73 minutes, when he had a free header from a Keith Lasley corner but sent the ball wide.

Killie then used all three of their sub's  in the last 15 mins as they ran time down, to run out comfortable & deserved winners. I wonder if Bertie "rated" any of our lads?

Terry Butcher, the Motherwell manager, was honest as ever. “We were never in it. Full credit to Kilmarnock. They thoroughly deserved to take the points,” was his accurate summation.

Kilmarnock: Dubourdeau, Shields, Greer, Dindeleux , Hay,  Canero, Fulton, (Fowler 87 mins) McDonald, Murray, Boyd, (Hardie 74 mins), Nish , (McSwegan  81 mins).

Sub's Not Used: Samson & McLaughlin 

Attendance: 6,320

Match Facts

- This was Killie's first "shut-out" of the season.

- First home win in 5 matches ending a run of 4 straight SPL losses.

- Kris Boyd's first goal since Sept 27th.

- Despite not having "broken into" the "top 6" all season Killie are only 3pts out of 4th  place.

- When was the last time 2 teams started 2 goalies that had swapped teams from the previous season?