On a warm spring afternoon Killie got back to winning ways (all be it the reserves) with a fine 3-2 win over Aberdeen at the Theatre of Pies. A pretty even start from both teams in this SPL reserve league clash, as the game quickly settled into a battle for midfield supremacy; but before you say it, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that Killie actually had the upper hand in these exchanges. Indeed in seven minutes the first real shot at goal came when, after good work through the middle, the ball fell to RHIAN DODDS on the edge of the box. With his back to goal, he controlled well, and in one movement proceeded to turn and fire off a shot which just fizzed past the post.

Just as it seemed it was only a matter of time before we got the opener, the visitors struck us with a sucker punch goal. They broke down the Killie left flank, and the ball was played to Mikko Paatalainin just outside the box. The big striker fired the ball from about 20 yards out, high into the net past the helpless BELL.

Killie didn’t let the heads go down however, and went straight back down the park and forced a corner. STEVIE MURRAY flighted in the corner from the right which the visitors managed to scramble out. The ball didn’t get very far though, as RHIAN DODDS collected just outside the box, and sent the ball back into the mix. FREDDIE DINDELEUX rose highest and fired a header towards goal. Unfortunately for the big Frenchman, the ball went straight into the waiting arms of Preece.

After a hectic first 20 mins the game once again settled into a battle for supremacy in the midfield, with only occasional half chances for either side.
This pattern of relative calm followed by a chance for first one team and the the other continued just before the half hour mark. Killie again led the way with good play coming through the middle with DODDS, WALES and DARGO instrumental in setting up the chance for T. RIALIST (aka GINO INVINCIBILE). The young trialist lacked the finishing composure he showed against Dunfermline reserves, and flashed his shot over the bar.

From the goal kick the visitors broke straight back up the field. The two Paatalainins were the driving force in the swift counter attack. Once again they tore down the Killie left, and made it to the edge of the box where Markus laid the ball off for Mikko. This time however, Mikko was lax in his finishing, and pulled his shot well wide.

With time running out before half time, we stepped up our pressure on the Aberdeen goal. A few missed half-chances served to soften up the visiting defenders concentration, before we hit them with our equalizer. A throw-in from the right, in line with the penalty box made its way to MURRAY who had cut in to the middle. The diminutive wing-man’s pass-cum-shot caused all sorts of panic in the visitors defence. In the ensuing stramash of flailing limbs and bodies, GARY WALES stuck out a leg, and from an almost horizontal position poked the ball under Preece. The ball trundled merrily along for 3 yards before crossing the line to send us in level at the half.

The visitors came out in the second half with a bit more wind in their sails and showed more willingness to press in 50/50 challenges. This resulted in RHIAN DODDS receiving a yellow card for a fairly innocuous looking collision which really had 50/50 written all over it, but the ref was having none of it as DODDS saw yellow. Twelve minutes into the second half though, and Killie hit the front for the first time in the game. GARY WALES was brought crashing down just outside the box, slightly left of centre. It was CRAIG DARGO that stepped up to the plate for the free, and bent a glorious shot past the despairing dive of Preece and into the back of the net. 2-1 the Killie.

Killie stepped up a gear and started searching for a killer third. MURRAY (in a far better showing than in his outing against the Pars) was now being a pest on the visitors right flank. So much so that just after 65 minutes, when he had once again cut in from the left to charge at the defence, he was unceremoniously dumped on his face just outside the 'D'. Dargo once more stepped up, but this time his curling free kick, went right over the bar.

Five minutes later and substitute Masterton got in on the act by terrorizing the visitors’ other flank. He managed to flight in a cross which was met by the head of WALES. The striker’s header went the same way as Dargo’s second free kick, and ended up in the Chadwick stand. Just a minute later though, and a lapse in concentration by Killie let the Dons back in. JAMIE HAMILL was a bit short with his headed pass back, which an Aberdeen player tried to latch onto. Now, from my vantage point it looked to me as if he had hurdled the legs of BELL, but when he saw that the ball wasn’t waiting for him on the other side, he hit the deck like a sack of spuds allowing the ref to give the pen. Markus Paatalainin converted low to BELL’s right.

Killie were not to be denied in this game however, and so it was with less than ten minutes to go we secured all three points. It was MURRAY down the left that caused Aberdeen the problems once again. As their defence seemed to be magnetically drawn to him, he cleverly switched play over to GARY WALES, who was in acres of space on the right. WALES the proceeded to fire in a perfect ball for DARGO to attack, and the wee front man obliged with a falling header which diverted the ball into the net. Sending the forty or so fans (not including players and staff) home happy.