Kilmarnock v St.Mirren
Saturday 26th February
Scottish Premier League
Saturday morning yet again comes around too quickly.
My friend Steve, him of the Falkirk blog, flew into town last night. He's here to watch the egg chucking at Murrayfield on Sunday when Scotland take on Ireland. I offered him the chance to come with us to Kilmarnock today but he's going to meet up with friends to watch the England v France game in a pub. We sat up till the early hours and it's fair to say that neither of us were feeling our sharpest this morning.
I've got to be at my dads for 12.15pm. I drop Steve off at the end of Rose Street at mid-day and wish him luck for the day ahead. For the second week in a row I surprise my parents by turning up ahead of schedule.
Although the Aberdeen / Hearts commentary is on the radio I decide that it shall be Tam & Stuart who entertain us on the journey through to Kimarnock.
My sister, Isla, used to be a Kilmarnock season ticket holder and she's decided that today will be the day she makes her mark on this adventure. She's driven down from Stirling and parks up behind my dad's car a few streets from the ground.
We walk over to the ground just before 2.30pm to make sure we've time to find seats for the three of us. My dad has a Season ticket and as such has his own designated seat; but today he's moving so he can sit with his children, but only if we can find three unreserved seats at the end of a row as the seating is tight to say the least at Rugby Park.
I insist Isla joins our dad for the pre-match photo and she reluctantly agrees. We then make our way to the turnstiles and for the second time this season I'm handed a free ticket. A teenage boy asks me just as I get my wallet out if I need a ticket for today's game. Yes, I reply. He then sticks a ticket in my hand and explains that he's got a spare ticket going in his book and better it gets used than not. I ask if he wants some money, but with a shake of the head he dismisses this idea.
My dad and sister can't believe that yet again I've managed to get to the football free of charge. I offer Isla a tenner so we can at least go halves but even she won't take my money.
Now that we've found seats I'm off to get the pies in. Isla refuses to let me buy her a pie, apparently they give her 'the boak'.
I've heard all season long about the Killie Pie; the prizes it's won, who makes them, blah blah blah. It's disappointing to find out that the Killie Pie is in fact a steak pie and therefore ineligible in our competition.
It's even more disappointing for me when the pie I get doesn't live up to the hype. Mine has a soggy bottom. I turn to my dad and tell him this is a seven tops. Rubbish, he cries this is easily an eight, it's not quite an Albion Rovers effort but it's no far off. Apparently, his pie has the perfect crust.
The game kicks off.
Kilmarnock are the first on the attack and both Bryson and Eremenko have their shots blocked by Paisley sides defence.
Off the ball Pascali and Higdon have a wee spat that ends up with them both getting a lecture from the referee.
McGregor picks the ball up on the edge of his own box and runs up field. He gets all the way to the edge of the Kilmarnock box before he's closed down and he sends a shot just wide. My dad is raging at the time and space given to the player.
Twelve minutes in and Kilmarnock go one up. Eremenko plays a great ball down the left to let William Gros run on to. Gros takes one touch and smashes it in off the near side post and beyond the dive of Paul Gallacher in goal. My dad is on his feet whooping and cheering before the ball hits the back of the net.
Hugh Murray is the first player in to the book when he gets a deserved yellow for a swipe at Eremenko.
Kilmarnock are well on top of this game and they play some great passing football. Every time the keeper has the ball it's played out to a defender, and they very rarely play the long ball tactics.
Half an hour gone and it's two nil to the home side. Gros turns provider for Eremenko with a ball to the midfielder on the right hand edge of the box. Eremenko caught the ball on the half volley and his shot nestled in the bottom corner shortly after. The away fans will probably feel that Gallacher should have saved it.
Two goals in front and still hardly a peep from the home fans. Apart from the five or six lads near us, there doesn't seem to be too much singing going on at the game today.
It's all Kilmarnock so far, the away side are yet to have a shot on target.
Nothing much else happens until the end of the half. Taouil manages to infuriate my father by taking one touch too many before releasing the ball.
Wright and Pascali become the second and third names in to the referees book.
Half time comes and my dad nips off for another pie, I'm still feeling the effects of last night so decide against a second.
At Kilmarnock they have a novel way of rewarding the winner of the half time draw. Not only do they win a £200 cash prize but they also get to come on to the pitch and try the crossbar challenge, if I'd known that I'd have bought a few tickets. Today's winner decided to let one of the Kilmarnock youth team take the shot for him, a decision he soon regrets as the young fella manages only to send a daisy cutter goal wards.
My dad is then surprised to hear the stadium announcer say 'We at Kilmarnock would like to wish a Happy 70th Birthday to David Pattison'. His response? You're only three weeks late. Typical father eh, never happy. Only joking dad.
The second half starts and first thing my dad notices is that Eremenko has changed his boots from orange to white.
St. Mirren replaced Goodwin with McLean at half time and the substitute nearly got his team back on lebel terms with a long range effort that came back off the post with Anssi Jaakola in goal well beaten. Unfortunately for Saints the linesman flagged Craig Bryson offside as he went to tap in the rebound.
St. Mirren are giving it a good go at the start of the half.
Higdon finds himself a little unlucky when near the hour mark he becomes the next player in to the book. I didn't see much in the challenge and the Saints fans give the ref a quick burst of You don't know what you're doing!!
Moments later and the impressive Eremenko had the chance to kill the game off but instead of attacking a Hay cross in to the box he waited for the ball to land and Travner was able to nick the ball off his toes and boot it clear.
Up the other end of the park and a Travner corner was met by the head of McGregor and if not for a goaline clearance by Craig Bryson, St. Mirren would have drawn level.
Eremenko then somehow escaped a red card and unbelievably he didn't even get a yellow for a terrible two footed lunge on Murray. It was a terrible challenge that had the whole of the away bench on their feet and Isla had to remind me that I was sitting in the home end as I was almost on my feet too.
Gros left the park to loud applause with five minutes to go and the home fans must be thinking that this eighteen year, a graduate of Didier Agathe's Football Academy, can fill some of the void left by Conor Sammon's departure.
The final whistle goes.
Kilmarnock deserve the three points but the second forty five minutes have been torturous. A fact agreed by both father and sister.
Next week we're off to see if Neil Lennon can behave himself for a full ninety minutes.
The Statistics
Ticket: Adult: £20 Concession £ 14. My dad has a Season ticket and that cost him £165
Programme: £2.50
Attendance: 5,243
Pie: £1.60
Pie Marks: A disputed 8 / 10
Mileage: 141 miles
Final Score: Kilmarnock 2 v St. Mirren 0
Man of the Match: Dad - Mohamadou Sissoko (Kilmarnock), Isla - William Gros (Kilmarnock), Me - Mohamadou Sissoko (Kilmarnock)
Fascinating Fact of the Day: Kilmarnock are the only British side to overcome a four goal deficit to win a European tie. On September 22nd 1964 they played Eintracht Frankfurt in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup and found themselves three goals down from the first leg. The German side scored two minutes into the second leg to go four up. Goals from Hamilton, Mcllroy, McFadzean & McInally brought it back to four each. With seconds to go Ronnie Hamilton scored his second & Kilmarnocks fifth. This come back is even more impressive when you find out that this was the very first tie Kilmarnock played in Europe. My dad was at the game. (Editor's note: I think that your uncle Raymond was at the game too...also, worth noting that Eintracht Frankfurt had been European Cup finalists three years earlier!)
Next Game: Parkhead (Celtic)
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