Killie eye great chance to end their Parkhead jinx

Oct 30 2009 by Clair Fullarton, Kilmarnock Standard

SATURDAY’S away match to SPL leaders Celtic gives the players in the Killie side the opportunity to write themselves into the club’s history books.

The Rugby Park side hasn’t won at Parkhead since December 1955, and Celtic are the only SPL club that Killie haven’t beaten since Jim Jefferies was appointed manager in February 2002.

What an incentive then for the current crop of players, who’ll travel to Glasgow at the weekend boosted by their win over St Johnstone last Saturday.

Both halves of the Old Firm have had surprise results in the fixtures so far this season, and the Killie players will know that this is their best opportunity for some time to go there and make a name for themselves.

Said the manager: “In the past it’s been pretty daunting going there and facing players such as Larsson, Sutton, Hartson and Petrov, and while they may have moved on, Celtic still have a number of good players who can make it hard for you.

“But if our guys have a bit of belief in themselves, then we can go there and make it a bit of a contest.

“We’ve been defending very well this season and if we can keep that going and take our chances when they come along then who knows.

“The three points we picked up against St Johnstone takes the pressure off a bit, so we’ll go there with a fair degree of confidence.”

Part of the agreement between the two clubs covering Mark Brown’s on-loan spell at Rugby Park means that the goalkeeper won’t play in the match.

That paves the way for 23-year-old Cameron Bell to come back into the first team and be part of the history-seeking squad.

Bell, who played in the first two games of the season, has the full backing of his manager as he prepares to face the Celtic attack for the first time.

Said Jefferies: “Cameron is a young goalkeeper with lots of potential, as he shows every day on the training pitch.

“He played against Hibs in a closed door game last week and looked very assured.

“It’s a big ask for him, but I’m confident that he’s up for the task.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to show what he can do on the big stage.”

Jefferies is also hoping that central defender Ryan O’Leary will have recovered from the hamstring injury that forced him to miss the match against the Perth Saints.

“The physio (Alex MacQueen) will be treating Ryan in the early part of the week,” explained the gaffer, “and we’re hopeful that we will have him fit for the weekend.

“Steven Old did well fitting in for him last Saturday, but Ryan has been playing really well and has been one of our better players so far this season.

“Since he’s come into the team he’s looked very secure, and it would be a bonus for us if he recovers in time for the Celtic game.”

With the exception of Bell and O’Leary, it seems unlikely that Jefferies will tinker much with the 11 that started against St Johnstone.

It was a big result against the Perth side, with the Killie players stepping up a gear after the half-time break to go on and deservedly pick up all three points.

Jefferies had hoped to give Killie fans a first look at recent signing Mark Burchill, but decided when the score was at 2-0 to put on David Fernandez instead because of the Spaniard’s ability to hold on to the ball in the final part of the game.

So Burchill could make his Killie debut on the ground where he once played if he comes off the substitutes’ bench.

Burchill won a Glasgow Cup medal with Celtic while he was still at school, and has played for no fewer than NINE other British clubs since leaving Parkhead.

What are the odds then for the ex-Celt scoring against his old team and helping to end Killie’s 55-year jinx at Parkhead?

Meanwhile, the news on the unlucky Allan Russell isn’t quite as bad as was first thought.

The striker, who has been dogged by his injury since signing from Airdrie, could be back in action in three weeks time.

Russell was injured in the closed doors game against Hibs last week, ironically, a game that had been arranged to give him and some of his team mates who haven’t been playing regularly a chance to get some much-needed match fitness.

Said Jefferies: “Allan has a heavy cast on just now and he's been training on his own, but hopefully he’ll get a lighter cast fitted before too long.

“We hope we’ll have him back after the international break on November 14.”