Kilmarnock F.C.
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| Nickname(s) | Killie | ||
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| Founded | 1869 | ||
| Ground | Rugby Park Kilmarnock Ayrshire (Capacity: 18,128 (stadium)) |
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| Chairman |  Michael Johnston |
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| Manager |  Mixu Paatelainen |
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| League | Scottish Premier League | ||
| 2009–10 | Scottish Premier League, 11th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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 Current season |
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Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park. They are currently members of the Scottish Premier League. Kilmarnock took part in the first ever official match in Scottish football against the now defunct Renton F.C in 1873.
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History
The club's foundation dates back to the very earliest days of organised football in Scotland, when a group of local cricketers looking for a sporting pursuit to occupy them outwith the cricket season formed a football club in 1869. Originally they played rugby rules, but the difficulty in organising fixtures and the growing influence of Queen's Park soon persuaded them to adopt the association code instead. These origins are reflected to this day by the name of the club's home ground – Rugby Park.
Although not amongst the founder members of the Scottish Football Association in 1873, Kilmarnock did join in time to compete in the inaugural Scottish Cup tournament in 1873–74. Their 2–0 defeat against Renton in the First Round on 18 October 1873 is thought to have been the first match ever played in the competition.
Kilmarnock joined the Scottish League in 1895 and after winning consecutive Second Division titles were elected to the top flight for the first time in 1899. For much of their history they have been one of the most successful clubs based outwith Scotland's major cities. This is in part due to their loyal support, who are mostly Ayrshire-based fans. They have reached the Scottish Cup final eight times, winning the trophy on three occasions. Despite five appearances in the final , they have yet to lift the Scottish League Cup.
The club's greatest success was in 1965 under the management of Willie Waddell. On the final day of the season, they travelled to face Hearts at Tynecastle requiring a victory by two goals to nil (due to the competition being decided by goal average at that period if teams were equal on points) to win the league at their opponents' expense. A memorable 2–0 win saw Kilmarnock crowned Scottish League champions for the first, and to date only, time.[1] This capped a period of tremendous consistency which had seen them occupy runners-up spot in four of the previous five seasons.
After a period of decline in the 1980s which saw the club relegated to the Second Division, Killie have returned to prominence, holding top division status since being promoted in 1993 and lifting the Scottish Cup for the third time in 1997 thanks to a 1–0 victory over Falkirk in the final.
The club have qualified for European competitions on nine occasions, their best performance coming in the 1966–67 Fairs Cup when they progressed to the semi-finals, eventually being eliminated by Leeds United. The club is also one of only a few Scottish clubs to have played in all three European competitions (European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup).
Killie finished the 2005–06 season in 5th position, after a season which at several points they seemed to be challenging for 3rd place. However, after selling Kris Boyd to Rangers in January 2006, Killie had to rely on goals from young attacking midfielder Steven Naismith, striker Colin Nish and winger Danny Invincibile. After taking only 1 point in the first four post-split games, Killie beat Hibernian 3–1 to leapfrog Aberdeen into 5th place.
Kilmarnock started the 2006–07 season brightly despite losing 4–1 away to Celtic on the opening day.[1] Young striker Steven Naismith scored a contender for goal of the season against Hibernian in August before going to Arsenal for a trial.[2] Rangers dropped their first points to Killie in four years after a last-minute Naismith penalty earned a draw for Kilmarnock.[3] In September Jefferies suffered his worst defeat as Killie manager after a 5–0 loss at Motherwell.[4] Killie is ensured of a top 6 finish for the 2nd season in a row, whilst a tremendous run in the League Cup ensured a place in the final[5]. Rolf Harris and Steve Lima have recorded a special version of 'Fine Day' with the Killie Choir to celebrate the club reaching the final, and the song is now available for download[6]. Unfortunately for Killie fans, their team was comprehensively beaten 5–1 in the final by Hibernian.
Season 2007–08 is probably best forgotton, with Killie finishing in 11th place and just 40 points. Fortunately for them, they avoided being drawn into a relegation battle due to Gretna collecting only 23 points, 10 of which were lost when they entered administration. The 2008–09 season got off to a good start, but a mid season slump that included a 12 game run without a win found them at the wrong end of the table come Spring. They finally finished in 8th place thanks to crucial victories over their relegation rivals during the run in. Striker Kevin Kyle's goals in these games were the deciding factor.
The club started the 2009–10 season with the ever blackening cloud of financial difficulties hanging over their head. By January 2010, Kilmarnock were second bottom of the SPL, with last placed Falkirk just two points behind. On 11 January 2010, Jim Jefferies left the club by "mutual consent" and Jimmy Calderwood was appointed manager. Kilmarnock then achieved a first win in nine years against Celtic. Continued poor form, however, meant a final day showdown at Rugby Park with Falkirk for SPL survival. Kilmarnock began the game with a two point advantage over their rivals and a goalless draw on the day was good enough to secure top flight football for another year. They ended the season with just 33 points, their worst points finish in the SPL.
After Calderwood left the team at the end the season, Mika-Matti Paatelainen was appointed manager for the next two years with an option for a third.[2]
Club records
- Oldest professional club in Scotland.
- Biggest win: 16 – 0 v Torrington F.C., Friendly, 24 July 2010
- Worst defeat: 1 – 9 v Celtic, Scottish League Division 1, 13 August 1938
- Highest home attendance: 35,995 v Rangers, Scottish Cup Quarter-Finals 10 March 1962
Highest Home Attendance (SPL) : 18,076 v Celtic, 8 April 1998
Lowest Attendance (SPL) : 1,516 v Gretna, 15 September 2007 away at Fir Park.
- Most League goals in a season: Harry Cunningham (34 in 1927–28) and Andy Kerr (34 in 1960–61)
- Transfer fee paid: £300,000 for Paul Wright from St. Johnstone, March 1995.
- Transfer fee received: £1,900,000 for Steven Naismith to Rangers, 31 August 2007.
Current squad
- As of 29 August 2010
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
Dragoje Leković (1995–1997)- Tommy Burns (1989–1994)
- Ally McCoist (1998–2001)
- Tommy McLean (1964–1971)
Christophe Cocard (1999-2002)- Ian Durrant (1998-2001)
- Frank Beattie (1953-1972)
- Kris Boyd (1999-2006)
- Paul Wright (1995-2001)
- William Dickson (1964-1974)
- Bobby Ferguson (1964-1967)
- Steven Naismith (2002-2007)
- Andy McLaren (2000-2003)
- Gary Holt (1995-2001)
- Andy Kerr (1959-1963)
- Jackie McGrory (1960-1973)
- Willie Toner (1954-1962)
- Joe Nibloe (1924-1932)
Managers
- Hugh Spence (1919–1937)
- Jimmy McGrory (1937–1945)
- Tom Smith (1945–1947)
- Tom Mather (1947–1948)
- Alex Hastings (1948–1950)
- Malky McDonald (1950–1957)
- William Waddell (1957–1965)
- Malky McDonald (1965–1968)
- Walter McCrae (1968–1973)
- Willie Fernie (1973–1977)
- Davie Sneddon (1977–1981)
- Jim Clunie (1981–1984)
- Eddie Morrison (1984–1988)
- Jim Fleeting (1988–1992)
- Tommy Burns (1992–1994)
- Alex Totten (1994–1996)
- Bobby Williamson (1996–2002)
- Jim Jefferies (2002–2010)
- Jimmy Calderwood (2010)
- Mika-Matti Paatelainen (2010-present)
Honours
- Scottish Football League:
- Winners (1): 1964–65
- Runners-up (4): 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64
- Scottish First Division[3]:
- Winners (2): 1897–98, 1898–99
- Runners-up (6): 1953–54, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1992–93
- Scottish Second Division:
- Runners-up (1): 1989–90
- Scottish Cup:
- Winners (3): 1919–20, 1928–29, 1996–97
- Runners-up (5): 1897–98, 1931–32, 1937–.38, 1956–57, 1959–60
- Scottish League Cup:
- Runners-up (5): 1952–53, 1960–61, 1962–63, 2000–01, 2006–07
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup:
- Semi-finalists (1): 1966–67
- Tennent Caledonian Cup:
- Winners (1): 1979–80
See also
- Kilmarnock F.C. season 2006–07
- Howard Park, Kilmarnock
References
- ↑ "1964–65 Scottish League Champions". killiefc.com. http://www.killiefc.com/Season%201964-65/65%20Champs.htm. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ↑ "Mixu Paatelainen is named as the new Kilmarnock manager". BBC Sport. 23 June 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/k/kilmarnock/8754914.stm. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ↑ Known as second division prior to 1975
External links
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