Post-Livingston: Stuart Kettlewell

Stuart Kettlewell struck a realistic but quietly upbeat tone as he reflected on Kilmarnock’s hard-fought win against Livingston, praising new goalkeeper Max Stryjek’s impressive debut and backing his side to keep improving as they find their feet.

Another three points saw Killie keep their 100 per cent start to the Premier Sports Cup group intact, and while the manager was pleased with the determination on show, he was quick to admit there is still plenty more to come.

Speaking about Stryjek’s first appearance, Kettlewell couldn’t hide his delight at the way the Polish stopper settled in.

“You just see his experience, don’t you? He’s got real personality, a big character, but all he wants to do is play football. He’s been around the game for years now, playing under pressure, performing well, and you could see that tonight,” Kettlewell said. “He’s been vibrant about the place since he came in and I’m delighted for him.”

Kettlewell was keen to stress that he values strong characters throughout his squad, especially in a league where personality can often make the difference.

“People always say they want personality in football, then when they get it, they’re scared of it. I’m not. I want all sorts of characters in my dressing room. If everyone’s the same it gets dull, so it’s about finding the right balance across the whole team.”

While the result made it two wins from two in the group, Kettlewell did not shy away from admitting he wants more fluency and control from his side as the new season approaches.

“I’ve got to hold back from being negative because the boys showed real grit and determination to get the job done. But I know we can play better, and we will need to,” he said. “In possession, we need to keep the ball better, complete that first pass, and control games for longer spells. But you have to remember there is a lot of change. Fifteen out, 10 in, so there are going to be teething problems.”

The Killie boss confirmed that captain Brad Lyons, who came off during the game, was taken off as a precaution and should hopefully avoid anything serious.

“It was just a bit of tightness in his hamstring. I think he felt it early enough to stop it from becoming something worse. We have good depth though. Lads like Jamie Brandon came on, and we have boys like Scott Tiffoney and Greg Kiltie who could offer us different options.”

There is no rest for the squad either, with the manager confirming the players will recover before getting back to work over the weekend ahead of another test against Kelty Hearts on Tuesday.

“They’ll be off tomorrow to recover but then we’re back at it. No extended periods off. This is the bit where we can put the work in to get things right. They’re coming in every day wanting to learn and get better and that’s all I can ask.”