Ladbrokes Premiership

ST JOHNSTONE 0

KILMARNOCK 2

FOR a second time this season Killie defeated Saints away from home as they bounced back from a late defeat against Aberdeen.

A wonderful strike from Rory McKenzie was followed up by a header from returning striker Connor Sammon as the away side took the spoils in their quest to join the Perth Saints in the top six.

Killie prowled McDiarmid Park with more zest and zeal than their hosts. Captain Kris Boyd stung the palms of Saints keeper Zander Clark with an early free-kick and Gary Dicker speared a drive over the bar before they made the breakthrough with a magnificent strike after 11 minutes. Clark made a hash of clearing a Steven Anderson pass back outside his box and the ball fell for McKenzie 40 yards out. Despite calamitous defending creating the opening, the Killie midfielder and Troon man deserved huge credit for the awareness and skill to find the empty net with a brilliantly executed lob.

Sammon and Longstaff both saw a drives beaten away by Clark as they pressed for a second.

Then Sammon’s header in 71 minutes, with Clark allowing it to squirm through his grasp at his near post, sealed it.

Caretaker boss Lee McCulloch said: "It was a really good team performance. We kept our shape and our game plan worked well. It was a great strike from Rory McKenzie, he is improving and has been working hard with the assistant boss Peter Leven. But for now we are focused on making sure we stay up."

Asked about his future the stand-in boss would only say: “I don’t know what will happen, I don’t know if it’s getting the management bug but I have loved it. I am just carrying on as normal and haven't spoken to the board.

“It’s an honest group of players and I’ve enjoyed working with them. It doesn’t harm the chances when the boys play like that, but I don’t really see it as having chances, I just want to see the boys playing well.”