New Kilmarnock manager Gary Locke says he is both "relieved and delighted" after being handed the Rugby Park reigns on a permanent basis.
The Scottish Premiership club announced at a press conference this morning that they had given the former caretaker boss a three-year deal.
The ex-Hearts head coach joined the club as assistant boss to Allan Johnston last summer but took control of the team when his one-time Tynecastle team-mate quit at the start of February.
The 39-year-old has lost just once in seven games since taking over at Rugby Park.
But after he was axed unceremoniously by the Jambos despite leading them through their administration nightmare last summer, Locke admitted he feared talks with Killie could collapse.
He said: "I'm just delighted to be able to get my future sorted out. Now I know what's what and I can look forward to pressing ahead with plans we want to put in place for Kilmarnock moving forward.
"You always have nagging doubts at the back of your mind that something might fall through, especially after what happened last season, but I was always confident we'd get it signed off.
"The new board of directors have been fantastic with me and after meeting with them I knew I'd get it over the line.
"I left all the negotiations to my lawyer Liam O'Donnell and while he sorted everything out, I just concentrated on the football.
"I'm over the moon that it's now all been agreed. Now I can get back to focusing on the team, which is the most important thing."
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Source: PA-WIRE
