GMS: ‘Killie a club on the rise’

Gary Mackay-Steven has spoken about his excitement for returning to matchday squads as he continues to regain match sharpness with a “club on the rise”.

Speaking to press on Wednesday, the 33-year-old said: “Up until October I was still at Hearts working with the physio. As soon as I was ready to go onto the next step of team training Derek reached out, and I’ve been here ever since. I was grateful that the manager gave me the opportunity to come and train.”

“Training was the first big step as I hadn’t done that in over a year. I’ve been training for the past month and that’s gone well so I’m looking forward to being involved in some games now.

“Everything has gone well. Day-to-day I’m getting stronger and now the games are coming which is the next step. I’m excited for that.

“I played a little bit of a reserve game the other week and I’ve been training for the past month fully. It’s all gone smoothly so I’m ready to go.

“I feel strong, I feel good and I’m completely over the injury. There’s a lot of games coming up and if I can contribute at all I’ll be happy to do so.

In addition to reuniting with his former manager, the winger also pointed to the positive feeling around Rugby Park which helped to sell the short-term deal.

“It’s a club that’s on the rise. Year-on-year it has done really well for the past few seasons. Obviously this year there has already been great results against the old firm, and another big result the other night at Pittodrie.

“There’s a good feeling around the place, I know that from the short time I’ve been training here. It’s a great place to come and do your work. I’ve really enjoyed training with the boys: there’s a great group here and a lot of talent in the squad.”

You can listen to the full press conference – HERE.