Steve Clarke delighted with Kilmarnock’s points tally

Posted Sunday, May 13, 2018 by PA

Kilmarnock manager Steve Clarke was pleased for his players to set the club’s highest top-flight points total with a 1-0 victory over Hearts.

Lee Erwin’s 10th-minute goal was enough to move Killie on to 59 points as they completed a memorable season with a dominant performance over a youthful visiting side.

Clarke secured the Scottish Football Writers’ manager of the year award after Killie went from bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership table to fifth since he took over in mid-October.

“I’m not crazy on stats but it is another little notch for us,” he said.

“It is nice for this group of players to get that recognition from a very difficult start to the season. They have managed to put together a great run.

“They have managed to end up with 59 points. I did set them 60 so they have come up short!”

The victory was Kilmarnock’s first since the split.

“It was important for us to get the win,” he said. “The pressure was on us to get the win although we didn’t do it in any great style.

“There has been a positive atmosphere around the club and it was important we didn’t send the fans home disappointed with the result. Over 6,000 people for the game is a step in the right direction.”

Hearts manager Craig Levein was happy with the way his eight teenagers performed after putting together a makeshift side in the absence of 15 first-team players.

Levein fielded four 16-year-olds – Chris Hamilton, Cameron Logan, Connor Smith and Leeroy Makorova – along with three 17-year-olds – Harry Cochrane, Anthony McDonald and Euan Henderson – at some stage.

“It was a hard day for us and I’m delighted for them, particularly the guys making their debuts,” Levein said.

“There was part of me fearing it could be sore but Jack Hamilton made three really, really good saves when we needed him. We got away with one but all credit to the boys.

“It will do them the world of good. I think Chrissy Hamilton in particular, when you look at the size of him and the way he pushed himself with Boydy (Kris Boyd), who is a handful for any senior centre-back, I thought his performance was fantastic.

“Chrissy in particular has an old head on young shoulders, he just understands the art of defending.

“Some players can go right through their career and not understand that completely but he just knows how to defend. He knows when to buy free-kicks, if you like.

“And then when Boydy smashed into him – it’s quite brave standing in front of a train, isn’t it?

“If he was another five or six inches taller he’d be worth a fortune already because he just knows how to defend.

“The amount of times it’s him who clears the ball from inside the penalty box just by being in the right place at the right time.

“It’s a wee bit like a really good striker’s instinct to be in the right part of the box when the ball arrives – I think the best defenders are the same.”