Source: FOOTYMAD
Too Early To Panic
Kilmarnock players are confident they will get their first win for Kenny Shiels soon Liam Kelly insists no-one at Rugby Park is panicking just yet as manager Kenny Shiels is still waiting to secure his first competitive win. Shiels was stepped up to the manager's chair when Mixu Paatelainen quit as manager at the end of March. With a tough run of games in the top six at the end of last season, and an equally challenging start to the new campaign, Shiels is still searching for that elusive victory. Killie are not entirely pointless after picking up draws against Dundee United and Motherwell so far ahead of today's game with Hibs.But, midfielder Kelly insisted: "I don't think anybody is feeling that sort of pressure at the moment, it's the early stages of the season. We've not had an easy run of fixtures. At the end of last season we had the top six teams and then Dundee United and Motherwell, who are two teams who will be looking to get into the top six, so there are no easy fixtures. We have had good performances so far this season. Maybe the results didn't go with the performances. We have started the season well and we are still unbeaten, that's one way to look at it. We've only conceded one goal in the two games. Defensively we look strong, if we can get a few more goals. We look strong and if we can build on that the results will come. We've had pre-season games where we've won, it's just the competitive games that we haven't won yet. The performances have been good, even at the end of last season when it was tough games. There were a lot of games where we should have got wins. Everybody will be trying their hardest against Hibs this weekend and the squad is more than confident that we can get a win. Maybe they slightly underachieved last season with the players they have got there. I think they've got a bit more stability at the club this season and they will be looking to kick on and will definitely be looking for a top-six place'' Junior Agogo, Isaiah Osbourne and Phil Airey could make debuts for Hibs today. Agogo has recovered from a thigh strain and joins this week's signings Osbourne and Airey in the squad, while a late decision will be made on Sean O'Hanlon (broken toe). Striker Garry O'Connor is aiming for multiple success for Hibs this season. He scored for the first time since his return to Hibs in the 1-0 win at Inverness last time out and he is eager to add to his tally. He said: "It'll be a tough game. Kilmarnock like to play football. It will be an open game at times, we'll have to soak some pressure up and go on and try and win three points. You've got to be ambitious. My ambitions this season are to hit the top six with Hibs, have a good run in the cup and try and hit 20 goals. That's a bit ambitious, but hopefully I can do that.''O'Connor is bidding to re-launch his career at the club he left five years ago (for Lokomotiv Moscow). After time in Russia, O'Connor moved to Birmingham and then Barnsley, who released him earlier this year. O'Connor's priority is to perform well in his one-year deal with Hibs and he is not thinking too much about the future or a return to the Scotland set-up. He went on: "I love this club with a passion. My main focus and objective is to do well for Hibs, try and score as many goals as possible, create chances and try and play that exciting brand of football the gaffer wants us to. England's an option. It's not going to go away. I've been there and we'll see what happens this year. We'll see how good I can be this season for Hibs and we'll see at the end of the season. The whole Scotland set-up - if I'm involved in it, great. For the moment I can focus on my football career at Hibs.''
