Source: Team_Talk
Ken hails 'persistent' Killie
Kenny Shiels paid tribute to his players' persistence after a 4-1 triumph over Hibs provided him with his first victory as Kilmarnock manager.[LNB] Killie had not won since the visit of Motherwell on March 19, when Shiels was assistant to Mixu Paatelainen, but there was no sign of anxiety in a free-flowing display at Rugby Park.[LNB]Paul Heffernan started and finished the convincing triumph with two cool strikes on his first start for the club and James Dayton provided the goal of the game from a 25-yard free-kick.[LNB]Dayton's low cross also helped restore Kilmarnock's lead four minutes before the break, when Paul Hanlon turned into his own net.[LNB]Killie deserved their interval advantage after bouncing back from Garry O'Connor's well-taken 13th-minute equaliser, which came after centre-back Ryan O'Leary had gifted possession to Lewis Stevenson.[LNB]Shiels was delighted to see his players continue to play the ball out from the back despite that error, as they have done since he and Paatelainen arrived before the start of last season.[LNB]"I don't think we have anything to prove to anyone," Shiels said. "One of the greatest qualities a person can have is persistence.[LNB]"We had a tough run-in with a weakened team but we persisted to make mistakes and tried to produce from that.[LNB]"The greatest feeling for me today is we made a mistake for the goal from trying to play out, but the players had the courage to take the ball everywhere on the pitch.[LNB]"The critics will say 'how can we try to play out when we conceded the equaliser?' But our first goal was a result of us playing the ball out from the back.[LNB]"I say to the players 'be brave, take the ball, play out, it doesn't matter who it's against, because that's our way'."[LNB]The Northern Irishman, whose team drew six of his previous 10 games in charge, was not helped in his quest for a win by a defensive injury crisis towards the end of last season, when they finished in the top six, or the huge turnaround in players this summer.[LNB]"The only person that puts pressure on me is myself and, inwardly, I felt we had to win for the team first," said Shiels, who revealed he hoped to complete his final summer signing in the coming days.[LNB]"I didn't win the match, the team did. That's the way I reflect on it, Kilmarnock's first win this season.[LNB]"We are unbeaten after three games and I'm pleased we are moving in the right direction.[LNB]"We have reinvented the team in six weeks, that's testament to a lot of hard work that people don't see.[LNB]"I know you are all dying to ask me if it's a monkey off my back and it is, it's a great relief for me.[LNB]"We have produced a good performance where people are allowed to express themselves.[LNB]"That's what creates personality, freedom to do what you feel is enjoyable, and that's what I feel we provided."[LNB]Hibs manager Colin Calderwood admitted he could take nothing positive from the game, although he hoped it would lead to long-term improvement.[LNB]"We looked as if we could concede at any point," Calderwood said. "But I think we were in the game.[LNB]"I didn't see them scoring before half-time, in fact they didn't, we scored.[LNB]"That made it difficult in the second half but we were very much in the game.[LNB]"We gave a free-kick away in what should be a defendable position. That cost us the third goal and it was a step too far.[LNB]"We have to take it right on the chin because what we produced was nowhere near good enough."
