Kilmarnock

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Tromso

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Tromso co-head coach Gard Holme is confident his side's "better pitch" will help give them the edge against Kilmarnock.

The sides are locked at 2-2 for Thursday night's Conference League qualifier return leg in Norway after Bobby Wales netted a last-gasp equaliser last week at Rugby Park.

Like Kilmarnock, Tromso play on an artificial surface.

"It's going to be a physical struggle, there will a be a lot of duels and we want to control the game a little bit more with the ball than we did in the away game," Holme said.

"It's a bigger pitch, a better pitch, so I think that will be a key point. And then, of course, to have long attacks and try to push them a little bit more backwards than we did.

"I think it will be quite tight and tough and it can go both ways of course, but we are confident.

"The feeling in the club is it's a good opportunity for us. We haven't been in European competition for 10 years and nobody is putting us under pressure. So that's a very good position to be in, we’re in an attacking mind."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Tromso

The Romssa Arena should be almost full tomorrow night for Kilmarnock's Conference League qualifying mission.

Around 5,300 home tickets have been sold while 300 Kilmarnock fans are expected in the away end.

When the Rugby Park faithful arrive in Tromso they’ll find a picturesque, but busy place. Plenty of bars and restaurants to keep them satisfied.

The weather is being kind too, 23 degrees and sunny, which I’m told is highly unusual for Tromso. It’s due to rain on Thursday, so they’ll feel right at home.

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Sandy Armour
Fan writer

There is a train of thought that teams like Killie, St Mirren or Motherwell simply don't have the depth of squad to perform in Europe and maintain league form.

Killie are certainly doing their bit to prove the point as we look like a shadow of the team who finished an impressive fourth last term.

It's far too early to be hitting the panic button, but the manager's recent comment about the budget being spent is a concern.

The desire to keep most of last season's squad is admirable but even the most successful teams freshen their squad every summer.

We look like a team who need to beef up the squad with some new faces, if that means selling Danny Armstrong, then so be it.

Rumours are abound that Danny could be away once we are out of Europe, and that would bring in some welcome funds and free up another wage.

It's another busy week with a tough trip to the frozen Arctic circle, followed by a cup trip to the even colder Fir Park.

Two wins would put the fans in a better frame of mind and have us dreaming once again of a successful season.

Sandy Armour is the editor of the Killie Hippo fanzine

Killie fans, we asked for your views after Sunday's defeat to St Johnstone.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Sean: Kilmarnock currently look like a shadow of themselves. Losing goals which could have easily been prevented and lacking killer instinct up front. It is frustrating, but I believe it can be sorted. The players need to start believing in themselves again.

Adam: We need to learn how to hold onto the ball and control games especially at home. Too many players in the penalty box causes mistakes, no out ball. We are far too defensive, no playmaker in midfield and long balls don’t work, and sorry Kyle Vassell isn’t good.

Mark: We badly need to both stick with a settled team and positions, too much tinkering going on again. Plus a right-back and creative midfielder additions needed.

Scott: Five games down, the same style of play in each one, no wins, almost out of Europe, bottom of the league, an away game to Tromso and a league cup tie away to Motherwell awaits - I've got the fear and it's month one of a new season.

Amy: That was a performance from a team, rightly, with one eye on Europe. Not helped by a stupid red card but we have plenty of time to make amends in the league. If we win 0-1 in Tromso on Thursday none of us will remember this game when we're in Copenhagen for the play off. No panic yet - far from it. In Derek McInnes we trust.

Stephen: A performance reminiscent of the relegation season of 2020-21. It's not a blip either. That's one win in our last 10 competitive games. McInnes loves to shoehorn as many centre-halves as possible into the team, but no full-backs. And the difference in movement from our front two compared to Saints' was embarrassing. Hoofball is getting us nowhere.

Jim: For goodness sake leave out the European games as it is getting us nowhere. We have no consistency in team selection. Europe means nothing. The league is our bread and butter. Who really cares if we get thumped in Europe. Play fringe players in Europe not the league.

Was Kilmarnock's Danny Armstrong a victim of a VAR quirk against St Johnstone?

Watch Sportscene analysis of the incident.

Watch highlights as St Johnstone put three past Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK users only.

Kilmarnock 0-3 St Johnstone | Watch Derek McInnes' post-match thoughts.

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes told BBC Scotland: "We've not had too many bad days at the office in the last wee while. We're not used to losing here and certainly not in that manner.

"We didn't deal with the front two and we were unnecessarily anxious. I can talk all day long about schedules and the rest of it, but there's still an emphasis to do the job right and we gave ourselves a real uphill task.

"Joe got sent off - an experienced defender making poor decisions - and he's beside himself and apologetic and he feels as if he's done us in. It was so much more difficult.

"It was St Johnstone's day today. We lick our wounds, we have to move on from this quickly. I believe we'll pick up on league form as we go through the season. There's still a trust in what we're doing.

"We're certainly going to have to defend better than what we have done. The Celtic game was different, they're a totally different animal. Today we played a part in losing all three goals and that's something we'll have to get better at.

"The biggest drain in our confidence is losing cheap goals, and that's not something you've been able to aim at us. The reason we're playing in Europe is because we've defended a lot stronger than that, more robustly. We need to get back to being that.

"I was really pleased with the second-half. We showed good energy, fitness and togetherness. We tried to get that goal and in the main we were good. It's hard to find too many positives."

An Adama Sidibeh double helped St Johnstone coast past 10-man Kilmarnock at Rugby Park to pick up their first win of the new Premiership season.

Sidibeh's strikes sandwiched Joe Wright's red card, as the defender was sent off after two yellows in the opening 16 minutes.

It got worse for Kilmarnock in the second-half when they were denied a penalty before conceding one two minutes later, with Benjamin Kimpioka converting.

What did you make of that, Kilmarnock fans? What's happened to your once sturdy defence?

How big an impact is Europe having?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

Derek McInnes' side only conceded 44 goals last season, with only the Old Firm and Hearts letting in fewer. They've coughed up seven after two games this term.

That does not include the soft goals given away in Europe either. Club Bruges and Tromso both benefitted from gift-wrapped presents from the Kilmarnock defence.

So, what's happened? Joe Wright, Stuart Findlay, Lewis Mayo and Robbie Deas all impressed last season, to the point that McInnes found it hard to drop any of his centre-backs.

His recruitment this summer has backed that up. He's re-signed solid left-back Corrie Ndaba, who is not yet fit, and Sunderland loanee Oliver Bainbridge - another left-back.

The rest of the defence he seemed happy with. Now, the Killie boss might be looking at the transfer market in the final few weeks for some defensive reinforcements.

Kilmarnock: McCrorie, Wright, Deas, Findlay, Armstrong, McKenzie, Watson, Lyons, Murray, Vassell, Cameron.

Substitutes: O'Hara, Mayo, Kennedy, Mackay-Steven, Anderson, Watkins, Wales, Polworth, Bainbridge.

St Johnstone: Rae, Neilson, Sanders, Cameron, Raymond, Wright, MacPherson, Essel, M Smith, Sidibeh, Kimpioka.

Substitutes: Sinclair, Clark, Carey, C Smith, Sprangler, McPake, Kirk, Olufunwa, Franczak.

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Marley Watkins remains a doubt for Kilmarnock with a groin problem while Kyle Magennis and Corrie Ndaba are just off featuring.

St Johnstone defender Sam McClelland is facing a lengthy lay-off after rupturing his Achilles against Aberdeen on Monday.

David Keltjens has a chance of returning after missing the Dons game with an ankle knock but Uche Ikpeazu (knee) is still out.

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes says he will make changes in order to keep his squad fresh as he juggles European and domestic commitments.

Kilmarnock play the second leg of their Conference League third qualifying tie against Tromso on Thursday, but they first take on St Johnstone at Rugby Park on Sunday.

McInnes started a makeshift defence in the 4-0 defeat to Celtic last week, and while he has more players available to him this weekend, he says he will not risk players' fitness.

"Big (Craig) Levein (St Johnstone manager) will be rubbing his hands," McInnes said. "It's natural, I’ve done it myself when we have played teams after they have played in Europe.

"But we've been at home, so it’s not as arduous as obviously last week when we had an away trip, half three bed and then an away trip at Celtic Park.

"Now it's a home game, we will recover, the boys don’t have to travel too far.

"We'll see where everybody's at and try to utilise the squad. It's impossible for the same 11 to keep going out and doing what we need to do at this stage of the season. It's difficult enough when you are up to speed.

"But I've got a squad there. It's important to try and utilise it. The only place that I'm not overly blessed is defence, but everywhere else I have got options and we'll see how everybody sits for Sunday.

"But it's the first home game of the season in the league and it's important that we are good enough to get the job done."

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• Kilmarnock have won both of their last two league meetings with St Johnstone, last winning three in a row versus the Saints in August 2018.

• St Johnstone have only lost two of their last seven league trips to Kilmarnock (W3 D2), although one of those was their most recent, a 2-1 defeat in December 2023.

• Kilmarnock have only won their opening home game in two of their last 13 top-flight league campaigns (D5 L6), although one of those was last season, beating Rangers 1-0.

• St Johnstone have won their first away league match in just one of the last six seasons (D2 L3), beating Motherwell 2-1 in 2022-23.

• St Johnstone boss Craig Levein has lost his last four Scottish Premiership matches against Kilmarnock. However, his last four top-flight wins as a manager against Killie have all come at Rugby Park, most recently with Hearts in February 2019 (2-1).

We asked for your views on Kilmarnock's 2-2 draw with Tromso in the Conference League qualifier at Rugby Park.

Here's what some of you said:

Marwan: We should have won, sloppy defending, we should have had a penalty, and we missed a lot of chances.

Stephen: We were awful, the goals we conceded were embarrassing, including one from our own corner. Derek McInnes has done well, but he clearly prefers physicality over mobility and finesse and we're never going to win these sort of games without creativity. The lack of a playmaker makes us so one dimensional and without a plan B. Tromso are bang average too.

Kenny: Liam Polworth and Liam Donnelly are a complete joke, Brad Lyons does nothing and plays in an unknown, unidentifiable position and has no influence on the game. Lewis Mayo is a problem constantly and is the weakest link in that defence. We need to get a proper right-back, these boys are needing a solid bench. Absolutely sick of Kyle Vassell falling constantly.

Robert: We were abject again, so naive at the second goal. It was definitely a penalty, and superb for Bobby Wales, also time for Gary Mackay-Steven, Fraser Murray and David Watson to start games.

Adam: Kilmarnock seemed to stop playing after they scored, and who decides who the man of the match was? Vassell scored a goal in six minutes and did nothing the rest of the game.

Jim: Well that's the end of our European escapade. Can someone tell me what Donnelly actually does for the team as I can't see anything other than panic every time he is involved in play. We don't have a midfield, our defence is fragile and we have very little up front, there's not a lot to look forward to. What has happened at Rugby Park?

Eddie: Really poor tactically, if we knew how they used their keeper why did we have no plan? Donnelly and Polworth were particularly poor, why did it take so long to make a change? McInnes proving he is tactically naive again.

Garry: A shocking performance against a bang average team. We have Scotland's young player of the year sitting on the bench behind three midfielders who are not up to it. Cash in now on Danny Armstrong, the boy isn't interested in being with us, he believes his own hype. Team selection and formation was bewildering from the start.

Bobby Wales was "ecstatic" to score his first goal for boyhood club Kilmarnock on a raucous European night at Rugby Park.

The 19-year-old forward came off the bench to net an injury-time leveller in Thursday night's 2-2 draw with Tromso in the Conference League second qualifying round.

"If there was a game to get my goal it's this one with my dad watching from home, my mum and my girlfriend in the stands," Wales told BBC Scotland.

"Especially because it's an important goal going into next week and to have it in a European competition with my first touch of the ball and I think my only touch of the ball.

"It went in but it wasn't my cleanest strike. It doesn't matter how it went in, it's in the back of the net so I'm happy with that."

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Despite the elation of Kilmarnock's last-gasp equaliser, was the first-leg draw with Tromso ultimately a disappointment?

The lowly Norwegian side cancelled out Kyle Vassell's opener to lead 2-1 before Bobby Wales netted his first Killie goal in stoppage time to salvage a draw for the hosts.

It leaves the tie on a knife-edge for next Thursday's return leg

Ewan Paton, of the Killie Chronicle, told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast: "It does feel like a missed opportunity to get the first European win on home soil since 2001.

"The overriding feeling is a little bit of disappointment.

"Obviously, Kyle Vassell scores after a little over five minutes and you're thinking, right, come on, time to ramp this up a notch and we can go and score a few goals, hopefully. Tromso looked woefully short of being at that sort of level.

"Tromso started to build themselves back into the game without overly troubling Robby McCrorie. Then they scored twice within about 14 minutes and it really kind of became quite apparent that this could turn into a bit of a disaster.

"Thankfully Killie showed a lot of character and it was a dream come true for young Bobby Wales to score for his boyhood club, his first goal, especially in such a big game at Rugby Park.

"We know the tie is still alive but hopefully it's the kind of momentum change that's needed going into Norway in the second leg."

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes reacts to the 2-2 draw with Tromso, including an overturned penalty for his side and teenager Bobby Wales' late equaliser.

Bobby Wales scored his first Kilmarnock goal in added time to set up a winner-takes-all second leg with Tromso in the Conference League third qualifying round.

Kilmarnock had led early on through captain Kyle Vassell, but Tromso turned the match on its head thanks to goals from Jakob Napoleon Romsaas and Lasse Nordas.

Prior to Wales' dramatic leveller, Kilmarnock had been awarded a penalty when Joe Wright was clattered by goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard but referee Menelaos Antoniou overturned his decision following a video assistant referee (VAR) intervention.

It was up to 19-year-old Wales to save the day in the 92nd minute, sweeping home a loose ball from a corner to send Rugby Park into raptures.

Whoever progresses will play Copenhagen or Banik Ostrava in the play-off round, with the Danes leading 1-0 going into next week's second leg in the Czech Republic.

Let us know your thoughts on the game here, external.

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes told BBC Scotland: "We're up against a good team here. It's difficult for people to understand. You don't see it in Scotland, a goalkeeper becoming that extra body for them. It disrupts your press.

"We tried as best we could. We lost a wee bit of confidence when they started to make a few passes. We needed to be better at looking after the ball when we won it.

"You've got to credit them. They're where we'll be in January, really up to game speed. You saw the spirit, determination and personality of the team that we didn't give it up.

"I thought we should have had a penalty. I don't see why that's overturned. I've seen it again, he [Haugaard] might get a little fraction of the ball but he's careered into Joe [Wright] with his fist. I'm surprised that's been overturned, the referee's decision was the right one.

"What a brilliant moment for [Bobby Wales]. He's doing really well. I love the kid, he's somebody who is going to do so well in his career. We want that to be here with us.

"It was fitting the way we finished the game. Despite not being as game-ready or as fit, it showed you a lot about what we are. Time and again last season, we never gave up.

"I can't have an interview without talking about the sloppiness of the goals. Both ragged, from counter-attack situations where we could do better. We've got to be braver.

"We looked a wee bit inexperienced, which leads to anxiety and we were all hands to the pump. We got a deserved equaliser."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

Kilmarnock’s grit is well-known to Scottish football fans, but this comeback was still one of the more surprising ones in Derek McInnes’ catalogue.

Tromso didn’t exactly dominate in large spells, but they seemed more comfortable in possession and slightly more threatening.

Another surprise to Kilmarnock fans might be how soft the two goals they conceded were. This has been a worrying trait this season. Cercle’s goal at Rugby Park was entirely preventable and, while other teams will ship four goals away at Celtic Park this season, McInnes would have been irritated by the manner of defeat.

Tromso’s first goal was entirely preventable, a goal of Kilmarnock’s own making as they failed twice to just boot the ball away or show some composure to keep their foot on the ball. That soft centre needs addressed, and quickly.

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Bobby Wales. This wasn't a vintage Kilmarnock performance, so we'll give the credit to the youngster who saved them.

A first Killie goal for the striker who has come through their academy, he scored 12 goals in 27 games for Alloa Athletic in League One last season.

It will be hard to dislodge Kyle Vassell and Marley Watkins this season, and with Bruce Anderson brought in during the summer, Wales needs to make the most of his opportunities if he is to play a part this season.