Killie finish their pre-season warm up's wearing their new away kit in a fine 4-2 home win over Sunderland. Boyd scores a second half super-sub double after Nish opened the scoring and Invincible completed it. Bad news however as Freddie limps off in the first half with a hamstring injury. Killie will then head to Ibrox to open the SPL season Vs champions Rangers, and lose 0-4. Meldrum "gifts" Rangers the opener, and then Innes is sent off after only 30 mins. It is reported after the game that Kris Boyd will be joining Wolves on a weeks trial. Francois Dubourdeau was on the bench as a triallist against Rangers at Ibrox, following an injury to Graeme Smith, who is out for three months. (He subsequently signed to a 6 mo contract).  Boyd returns from his Wolves trial in time to hit a super volley in Killie's 2-1 come from behind win over Partick in their SPL home "opener". Both Invincible & Locke are injured, with one the replacements being Killie debut boy Martin Hardie, who obliged his former employers with scoring Killie's equalizer!

Before the Motherwell match the Klin Investment (UK) Ltd has make an offer in writing to the Principal Shareholder of Kilmarnock Football Club to acquire the controlling interest of the club. Statements Here

Saturday comes after the club "knock back" Klin's proposal & lose 1-2 at Motherwell with a 10 man effort after Fowler gets sent off for a deliberate "hand-ball" then a penalty. Freddie score his first goal in 3 years to have pulled Killie even!. Before the final Sunday of Aug the Dee home match the transfer window closes, and Killie see a flurry of activity. Chris Innes is sold to Dundee Utd, while Blackburn stopper Gordon Greer is signed a two year deal. Also  Rhian Dodds has joined until the end of the year.

To close out Aug Killie field a team minus; Dargo, Canero, Invincible, Locke, Hardie & Fowler (suspension). Kris Boyd again earns Killie a point with a great equalising goal in a 1-1 draw, with Stevie Murray featuring.

Killie finish the month with 4 points from 4 matches and are in 8th place in the SPL.

Sep 2003

Baggio in action Vs Hearts

Scotland's Euro 2004 campaign qualifying means Killie didn't play again till Sept 13th at home to 3rd place Hearts, and put in a horror 1st 45 min's! Killie fail to compete and lose 0-2. Manager Jefferies tell the press after the match ..."if I could have used more than 3 sub's ..I would have"! Some good news however was that Peter Canero did make his debut for the season.
Killie then had to embark on their travels which took them away from Rugby Park for 5 of their next 6 matches! A successful start is made at Livingston where Killie record a 2-1 SPL win with Hessey & Boyd grabbing Killie's goals. However that fine result is followed by a shocking performance to an Ally "Bully" Mitchell led Brechin up North and go down  0-1 in the CIS Cup. Killie then turn a decent display at Dundee Utd with Kris Boyd opening the scoring in a 1-1 draw with Andy McLaren scoring for the Arabs. Alan Mahood is injured and never plays for Killie again!

Killie finish the month with 8 points from 7 matches and are in 9th place in the SPL.

Oct 2003

McSwegan Nets the Pars Winner

Killie then host 2nd bottom Aberdeen and are 0-2 down after 15 mins, and go on to lose 1-3 with sub Colin Nish scoring his first goal for Killie. Killie are now "off" till their SPL travels resume at the plastic Pars pitch & Blobby's place, followed by the "In-Firm" both coming to Rugby Park. However during the Euro 2002 break Killie do squeeze in a West Sound challenge match 1-0 win over Ayr Utd, with Stevie Fulton sending the Killie faithful home happy!  Killie then the following week become the first visiting team to win at Dunfermline's plastic pitch 3-2, after trailing 1-2. Greg Shields & Gary McSwegan (a double) did the scoring for Killie. Rhian Dodds makes his Killie debut also that for Killie that day. Killie finish the month visiting "under-fire" former manager Bobby Williamson's Hibs. Killie start the match the same way we did against the Dons earlier in the month, giving up 2 early goals. Hibs score first through Francois's legs then Shields legs! Colin Nish as sub nets Killie's only goal as we go on to lose 1-3.

Killie finish the month with 11 points from 10 matches and are in 9th place in the SPL.

Nov 2003

McDonald Scores at Firhill

Killie start Nov hosting Celtic and lose 0-5. Jim Jefferies complains heavily about Hugh Dallas's performance, giving Celtic 2 penalties the first very "soft", and denying Killie at least one very decent penalty claim of our own. Gordon Greer is Killie's man of the match, and looks to be a real find, after playing in only is 2nd SPL match. Killie are then beaten 2-3  to Rangers at Rugby Park with McDonald & Canero scoring for Killie. A mistake in the 86th min by  Dubourdeau cost Killie a valuable point after a much improved spirited performance. Many of the Killie faithful head off the following week to Hampden to see Scotland's memorable win over Holland. Killie finish up Nov with 2 wins on the trot, firstly at Firhill where bottom of the table and winless Partick Thistle were beaten 4-2, with doubles from both Gary McDonald & Colin Nish, with Stevie Murray being the main Jags tormentor.

The Nov finale is played in torrential rain conditions as Killie outplay 4th placed Motherwell and win 2-0 at Rugby Park. Goals in each half by Peter Canero & Kris Boyd (in the 2nd half) did the job as "McBertie" took in the match. Gordon Greer  shone as Man of the Match for most. This was Killie's first "clean sheet" of the season!

Killie finish the month with 17 points from 14 matches and are in 9th place in the SPL.

Dec 2003

Boyd in Action at Tynecastle

Killie start Dec at Dundee who had just called in the receivers the previous week, who were also on 17 points (from 14 matches in 8th place on goal diff.) Killie go on to beat Dee 2-1 with Nish & Boyd on target again for Killie. Killie break into the top 6 in the SPL for this time, and it had taken them 15 matches to do so. Peter Canero & Greg Shields then play for the Scotland "B" team Vs Turkey, and Gordon Greer is named to the bench also. Second top scorer Colin Nish signs a new 18  month deal to stay on at Killie. Dubourdeau & Dodds also sign deals to keep them each at Rugby Park through the end of the season. Before the Hearts (A) match Killie conduct their AGM. Killie then play at Tynecastle, squander many decent chances and go on to lose 1-2. Sub Gary McSwegan net in the final min for Killie. 

Killie then finished up the year with 2 home matches, both losses without scoring a single goal ! The first of which was against Livingston, where we lost 0-3, after playing some good football and falling behind to a goal early in the second half (& then 2 late sucker blows). Then to the Arabs 0-2 where again we played some decent football and had some penalty decisions go against us. We just seem to have no luck at Rugby Park these days !

Killie finish the month with 20 points from 18 matches and are in 8th place in the SPL.

Jan 2004

Sweg's Nets From the Spot Vs the Pars

Killie start the year up north in Aberdeen, and register their 4th consecutive SPL loss! 1-3 was the final score with Colin Nish scoring a late consolation goal for Killie, after he had missed a penalty to pull Killie even in the 1st half. Our fortune's improve the following week Vs Raith in the cup as their keeper plays a "howler" and we go on to win 3-1 , with goals coming from McSwegan, McDonald & Nish. Killie are then "rewarded" win a home draw Vs holders Rangers in the 4th round of the cup. Rumours are also circulating around Peter Canero's future as me be getting ready to do a Gary Holt, and move off to England before he is lost for nout at the end of the season. Killie had reported making him a generous offer. However the challenge was too much for Pedro to turn down, and was subsequently transferred to Leicester City for around 250K.

Killie then ended their 4 match SPL losing run by picking up a home point with a 1-1 draw with the Pars, Killie's goal coming via the penalty spot (their 1st converted of the season) through Gary McSwegan.
The club then sign French under 21 internationalist Eric Skora on loan from Preston North End until the end of the season. Greg Shields leaves to join Dunfermline with no fee involved.  It was also confirmed that Sean Hessey was released from his contract. Killie had also been in talks with former Dundee player George Nemsadze but his wage demands did not fit into the club's wage structure. It was also reported that Colin Meldrum's contract will not be renewed for next season.
Killie then host Hibernian and lose 0-2, with Williamson's men scoring 2 goals in 60 odd sec's just after the break. Eric Skora does make his debut. The biggest cheer of the day from the home support was the sub'ing of Stevie Fulton before the hour mark. (This was a real "talking point at the time on this site's message boards, with the final thought being that these cheers were "well out of order"). Killie Close out Jan at Celtic and lose 1-5 . Fowler, Dodds, Nish, Baggio & Freddie are all dropped after the Hibs match David Lilley makes his debut after a move from the Jag's during the week. Killie play with a lot of heart and go in 0-0 at the break at Parkhead. However Eric Skora's first goal for Killie is the only bright spot in the second half. Two thirds of the regular season is now complete.

Killie finish the month with 21 points from 22 matches and are in 10th place in the SPL.

Feb 2004

Greer & Lilley Celebrate Vs the Jags

Killie opened Feb with a weeks training in Spain before returning home to host a Scottish Cup tie. Killie go on to lose 0-2 to Rangers despite a very credible performance. The main talking point was Killie's sales with fewer than 2,000 fans choosing to pay their way in (match was not covered by their season ticket). Not helping was this Sunday match was screened live by the BBC. Three days later it was the same 0-2 score to Rangers this time at Ibrox in the SPL.

Killie have now taken 1 point from their last eight SPL matches, and relegation was starting to be talked about.

However Killie took full advantage in their next match to make it 3 wins out of 3 Vs bottom of the table Partick, as Killie recorded a fine battling 2-1 comeback win, with their goals coming from David Lilley and Kris Boyd. Craig Dargo also comes on as a sub for Killie & plays the last 15 mins.

Killie then fall flat on their faces at Motherwell and lose 0-1, on a difficult surface. Stevie "Baggio" Fulton's season is over as he has hip surgery. Killie also take a "pass" on entering the Interlotto cup as JJ indicates July football is too early. Killie then host Dundee and score FOUR goals at home !! Danny Invincibile is the hero with his first 2 goals for the club as Killie go on to win 4-2. Colin Meldrum  also returned in goal. Skora & Boyd (from the spot) net Killie's other goals. This was Kris Boyd's 23rd first team goal for Killie, and Killie have never lost when "Boomer" has scored! Martin Hardie season is now also "done" as he has an "Op".

Killie finish the month with 27 points from 26 matches and are in 10th place in the SPL.

Mar 2004

Late Hearts Equaliser Celebrations

For the second week running Rugby Park reverberated to the sounds of  "Down Under" after Danny Invincibile showed he is finally living up to his name by plundering his third goal in two matches to rescue a point, for Killie in a 1-1 draw with Hearts.The Australian popped up three minutes before the end of this game to score unchallenged with a header. Colin Meldrum had to go off after 47 mins with a calf injury, which meant a first team debut for young Graeme Smith. Killie were then "idle" as Livingston made the CIS Final. The two week layoff see's Killie put a horror opening 45 mins. as we go on to lose 1-4 to the Arabs up there. Manager Jefferies describes the performance "It was the worst performance I have seen from any team I have been involved with!".  Danny Invincibile scored his 4th goal in 3 games as Killie's only bright spot! 

Manager Jefferies then demands a much improved effort when the Dons come calling the following week. Killie respond with an emphatic  3-1 win, with Craig Dargo scoring in the 1st min of his first start of the season, as he filled in for the injured Invincibile. Boomer Boyd gets his 9th & 10th goals of the season. Another bright spot is the home crowd of 7,250 after the club turns back time and allows entry for just a tenner! Killie have now taken 10 points out of their last 4 SPL matches at Rugby Park.

Killie finish the month with 31 points from 29 matches and are in 8th place in the SPL.

Apr 2004

The Boys Celebrate Their Home Hibs Win

Killie then played 3 consecutive away matches, and picked up only 1 point ensuring Killie's "bottom 6" place. We outplayed the Pars and lost 1-2 with Danny Invincibile netting the opener for Killie. Young teenage goal sensation Naismith makes his Killie debut as a sub!  Then it was a mid week fixture at Livingston where a 1-1 draw was secured with Craig Dargo equalising 5 min's from time. Danny Invincibile picks up an ankle knock that allows Darg's to get on the park.  Killie then lose 0-3 to Hibs at Easter Rd, where the final score was very flattering for Hibs. In many ways these results reflected points dropped where the performances on the park warranted so much more, but defensive errors continued to cost Killie dearly! Francois Dubourdeau & Colin Meldrum are both confirmed by the club as being free to seek new clubs for next season. To finish up the "regular" first 33 games of the season Killie host Celtic and lose 0-1 as the Celts clinch the title. Meldrum gives the club something to think about as he had a fine game in goal! Again some dodgy ref'ing costs us, as an early Kris Boyd strike was chalked off, just the same as a potential game (from sub Nish) winner was nullified with 2 mins to go at Livingston.

Killie finish the "regular" season with 32 points from 33 matches and were in 11th place in the SPL. This represents 18 fewer points than the 2002-03 season.

Managerless Hibs (former Killie manager Bobby Williamson is off to Plymouth!) is the first fixture post the league "split", and a Kris Boyd double gives Killie the 2-0 win. Only 4,886 are in attendance, which was the lowest home gate of the season, despite the "kids for a quid" program being brought back for the last 3 home matches. Again Colin Meldrum has a fine match in the Killie goal, as Killie pick up only their 2nd "clean sheet" of the season, their first since Motherwell at home in Nov. Mark Canning plays the last 11 mins coming on as a sub.

May 2004

Sweg's Completes Killie's 4 Goal Livi Comeback 

Killie's most memorable 45 min's of the season are played in the second half of the Livingston 4-2 home win. Killie came storming back after leaving the field at the half down 0-2 and to a chorus of boos!  Jim Jefferies confirmed his half-time team-talk had been "unrepeatable". Sub Colin Nish netted twice while Mark Canning got his first team goal, on his first team start. Gary McSwegan also scored for Killie off of the bench. With the introduction of Canning & Dodds, long time Killie fan Alan Mahood looks set to free'ed at the seasons end. Mahood had been out injured since the end of Sept. Prior to the Dee away match Killie also announce releasing Martin Hardie & Barry McLaughlin. Killie go on to lose 0-2 at Dundee, with manager Jim Jefferies being absent from the match while scouting defenders/goalkeeper/s in Portugal.

As the season winds down Killie resign Freddie Dindeleux, James Fowler and Garry Hay to one year deals. Danny Invincibile is also resigned on a one deal with an option for a 2nd year. Mark Canning and Paul di Giacomo are both given short-term deals also. Freddie tells killiefc.com (left)  that "he loves Kilmarnock" and would play for less to stay with the club.

Some more good news for the club, as Killie's U-19 beat Rangers 1-0 to win the Scottish Youth cup, with just under 4,000 in attendance at Rugby Park.

Killie's home finale was against Aberdeen, in what was Eric Skora's last match. Killie dispatched a very young Dons side 4-0 with Skora, Boyd (2) & Nish netting for the blues. Graeme Smith also had a shutout in goal, in his first ever start! Manager Jefferies sub'ed Erik Skora during the second half to allow the Killie faithful to give the French 22 year old the ovation he deserved as his loan from Preston was now over.

Firhill was the last match of the season, where Killie picked up a 2-2 draw in a match where 3 penalties were awarded. Kris Boyd scored his 15th of the season netting the rebound after his original penalty was saved. Sub Craig Dargo was both "hero & villain" scoring Killie's 2nd and giving up a 90th min pen to the Jags!

The final day's results cost Killie dearly as the last min Jags penalty (2 points and 1-2 SPL places), plus Clyde's failed promotion attempt means no Bully Wee ground sharing, and yet more revenues lost for Killie.

Before May is gone Killie also announce that 2002-03 killiefc.com POTY Stevie "Baggio" Fulton is being released, however he may be "invited" back to Killie's training camp when the new season begins. Also Gary McSwegan looks set to be moving on as he failed to sign up for a "short-term" new contract.

Kris Boyd is voted as killiefc.com's POTY (Player of the Year) for 2003-04. More

Killie finish the season with 42 points from 38 matches and in 10th place in the SPL.

Killie Faithful at Partick on the Season's Final Day!

Season 2003-2004 Form Guide