‘I want us to catch fire’ – Neil McCann hopes it will be Kilmarnock’s turning point

Kilmarnock looked like they might just be starting to find some solutions to the problem areas in their team.

The departure of Kyle Vassell in the summer left them without a focal point in attack, and McCann has brought in three attacking players to bolster his options – Rangers loanee Findlay Curtis, Moldova winger Niki Klesenko, and Manchester United striker Joe Hugill.

All three started on the bench, and it was the player already in the building who provided Kelly with that presence up front from which the rest of the team could flourish.

Tyreece John-Jules was excellent. He grabbed the ball, brought his teammates into play, provided a brilliant assist for Bruce Anderson to put his side 2-0 up and scored a stunning goal himself to put the result beyond doubt.

It was a sign of the great forward’s confidence that he even attempted a bold bicycle kick in the second half, although the less said about it the better.

John Jules and Anderson led the pressure that troubled Aberdeen from the start, with Dom Thompson’s energy up and down the switch on Kelly’s left wing with and without the ball.

As much as he caught the attention of the offensive players, McCann rightly highlighted his team’s defensive efforts.

Kelly Ross looked more confident in goal and made a number of big saves, while Robbie Dees, after a shaky start, made some crucial tackles.

His double goal-line save against Kevin Nisbet and then Topi Keskinen before half-time was impressive. A Dons goal in that moment, against a team with fragile confidence, could have changed the entire dynamic of the game.

This is only Kelly’s third league win this season, and remains three points behind St Mirren in 10th place, having played a game more.

But with no wins behind them, a first victory for McCann and new faces in the squad, Kelly are able to look forward to Wednesday’s trip to Ibrox with renewed faith.

“I want us to catch fire,” McCann said. “I want it to be a motivation and a platform we can build from. We have a really tough game in midweek against Rangers that we have to recover from.

“But the boys deserve to lose tonight and enjoy this win because it’s been a long time coming.”