Kilmarnock defender Kevin McHattie sympathises with Dundee United
Kilmarnock defender Kevin McHattie says he knows what Saturday's opponents Dundee United are going through having experienced something similar at Hearts.
Dundee United boss Mixu Paatelainen admitted, following last week's 2-1 home defeat to Hamilton, that crisis was not too strong a word to describe the plight of his struggling club.
United are bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership, seven points behind Motherwell and with one win in seven since the Finn replaced Jackie McNamara in October.
However, McHattie was a teenager at Hearts when wages were not getting paid with a transfer embargo imposed and the club deducted 15 points ahead of the 2013/14 season for falling into administration, before they were relegated out of the top flight.
The 22-year-old left-back remembered some difficult days at Tynecastle before he was released in the summer and joined the Rugby Park club.
He told Press Association Sport: "We weren't getting paid at Hearts and the club went into administration, so it was hard times. That was the worst.
"The gaffer here (Gary Locke) was the gaffer there with me.
"We had the points deducted and it was hard but we battled through it.
"It was a young team back then but over the long term it has stood the players in good stead.
"It is hard for them (United). I have been there with Hearts when you are getting beat week-in, week-out and things are not going your way and things were happening off the pitch.
"They are coming here on some bad form and we need to capitalise on that.
"They will come here with confidence dented but they will want to prove us wrong and we expect a challenge."
Kallum Higginbotham is a doubt with the Killie attacker likely to have his ankle injury assessed ahead of the visit of the league's bottom side.
Midfielder Rory McKenzie remains out with a hamstring injury along with long-term absentee Chris Johnston who is still unavailable after tearing knee ligaments.
Dundee United have Callum Morris (calf) back in training but he is unlikely to feature while Darko Bodul (groin), Paul Paton (knee) and Ryan Dow (groin) remain out.
Chris Erskine returns to the squad following a pelvic injury with recent signings Guy Demel and Florent Sinama Pongolle aiming to make their debuts.
Former Liverpool striker Sinama Pongolle claims he has never been more motivated in his career as he aims to repay Dundee United boss Paatelainen for his faith.
The 31-year-old hopes to resurrect his career following a three-year spell blighted by injury, including a damaged cruciate ligament.
"My appetite has never been stronger," he said. "I have had three really tough years, with two big injuries. That has made me work a lot outside the pitch.
"I had a really hard time in France, many clubs in the second or third division were even scared to take me on trial. That really affected me a lot because I realised people judged me in the last three years without knowing what I'm like as a man and a player.
"That's why I really thank the club here. In the first meeting with the manager, we spoke man to man, head to head, eye to eye, partly about football but more than this, the human part. This made a big difference."
Source: PAR
