Jefferies has striking crisis

The Killie squad has been decimated with injury and suspensions with Irishman Conor Sammon the only forward available for the visit of the Edinburgh side.New signing Kevin Kyle is suspended after being sent off against Inverness in the Homecoming Scottish Cup last week.David Fernandez is also banned, Danny Invincibile is still out with an ankle injury and loan player Donovan Simmonds has returned to Coventry.As Jefferies talked about his mounting injury problems, he watched striker Allan Russell hobble across the Rugby Park car park to be driven to hospital after injuring a knee in training.The Killie boss said: "There's no point in appealing Kyle's sending-off."I thought he was unlucky and if we were in England we would have appealed, but not here with the way in which appeals are dealt."But that means we have only one registered striker available for this game, Conor Sammon."Allan Russell doesn't look great, as you can see, with his knee injury which he picked up after just coming back from flu."I can't see Invincibile coming back in time, Fernandez is suspended as is Mehdi Taouil and on top of that, James Fowler is out for about six weeks with a broken foot."Donovan Simmonds has gone back to Coventry where he will have an operation and so that leaves us with only one striker for Saturday."I don't know what I will do yet."We can work with the back four and the midfield but we will have to address the attack but there is not a lot we can do about it other than play someone out of position."Sammon has not featured this year but Jefferies insists the former Derry City player is recovering his form just in time.He said: "Conor might have been back in the frame anyway, not just because we are left with him as the only striker."He has settled down and has been doing better in training."It was a lot to ask from him at the beginning of the season when he was forced in early because of injuries."Things weren't going right for him so we took him out before he lost his confidence but he has caught our eye in training."He has shown a great attitude and you always get 100% from him and that is what is needed."Killie have not won at home in the SPL since beating Dundee United 2-0 in November and are without a league win this year but a victory would put them one point behind the sixth-placed Easter Road side.Jefferies is aware of the need for his side to rediscover their form before the league splits.He said: "We are getting down to the nitty-gritty for getting in the frame for a top-six place but the games are running out."So this is a huge game for us and we are treating it like a cup final."If you get further behind then you make it difficult for yourself."So we have to go out there and give it our all."

Source: Team_Talk