90 mins
Under-strength Kilmarnock finished the season with a flourish with a fine win secured by a fine Mehdi Taouil goal.
Killie completed a fine
"double" over Motherwell at Fir Park en
route to taking 10 out of a possible 12
points from the Steelmen. Killie
probably won't be shedding too many
tears over bogey team Inverness's
relegation either as they dropped into
Division 1, having picked up 3 SPL wins
over Killie.
Killie boss Jim Jefferies made seven changes, left out in-form striker Kevin Kyle and lost three players to head knocks during the game.
Victory ensured that Kilmarnock finish eighth, one place below Motherwell.
Kilmarnock brought in Iain Flannigan and left out several players (Hay, Wright, Kyle, Combe)who would be at risk of picking up a suspension for next season.
Kevin Kyle was among those dropping out after scoring seven goals in four games to keep Killie in the SPL despite playing through injury.
And Killie had to make another change
after just 12 minutes when Grant Murray
(left) went off with a head knock, and was
replaced with Gavin Skelton, after
clashing with team-mate Manuel Pascali.
Sheridan should have tested young Killie goalkeeper Cameron Bell in the 18th minute but shot well over from 16 yards after being set up by David Clarkson.
Pascali followed Murray into the dressing-room after 20 minutes, with James Fowler coming on.
But
the visitors took the lead seven minutes
later on the counter attack as Taouil
fed the unmarked Danny Invincibile
to power home from 12 yards.
The only time Motherwell threatened an equaliser before the break was when Clarkson headed Hammell's near-post corner across the face of goal.
It was Motherwell's turn to lose a player to injury, on-loan Maros Klimpl being replaced with Bob Malcolm.
Well came close to an equaliser when defender Brian McLean sent a header against the crossbar with a header.
Killie's defence was further disrupted when yet another head knock forced David Lilley to be replaced with Ryan O'Leary.
Sheridan squandered a chance, firing
wide as Well applied more pressure, and
was denied by a good save at this feet
by goalkeeper Bell.
But the on-loan striker did find the net 10 minutes from the end after good work from Clarkson.
The game looked set to finish 1-1 until an inspired finish from Killie's two mavericks settled the issue.
However,
in the dying seconds Spaniard
David
Fernandez's
genius backflick
took out three Well
defenders and Mehdi Taouil
produced a couple of
stepovers before
blasting in the winner from a tight angle.
It
was vintage stuff
and a beautiful way
to end a season in
front of the
overjoyed Killie
fans who didn't let
jobsworth coppers or
stewards ruin their
day.
Free of relegation torture, some were dressed in beach shorts and Hawaii shirts and chucked rubber rings, inflatable palm trees and a blow-up crocodile among themselves.
Great fun - unless you wear a luminous jacket and have authority.
Hell mend anyone having fun at football. Stewards and police promptly confiscated the items.
When Scottish football is begging people to go to games they could do without them being told they can't enjoy their day out with a bit of harmless fun.
Mercifully, the enforcers of law and order couldn't get on to the park to stop Fernandez and Taouil producing their moments of magic.
Jim Jefferies Closing Comments on the 08-09 Season... "People said we did not have the bottle or the character or the type of player to get us through it if we got dragged into the relegation battle, Well, we have shut a few people up. We finished with three wins and that does not happen often in the Premier League. We have been better than our finishing position in the league this season." Complete Season Comments - Here
Sandy's Match Pic's are HERE
