KILMARNOCK midfielder Gavin Skelton will find himself on the opposing side to his former Gretna team-mate Kenny Deuchar for the first time when Hamilton Accies visit Rugby Park this afternoon.
The Lanarkshire club have transformed their season by racking up three successive victories for the first time in nine months and with Deuchar in line to make his debut after signing from Real Salt Lake, Skelton believes that the visitors have beco
me even more of a threat.
The 28-year-old has struggled to win plaudits in spite of banging in 118 goals in his senior career. Like Kris Boyd, whose inability to close down full-backs has at times overshadowed his ability to bulge nets on a regular basis.
"Sometimes he gets knocked, people look at his hold-up play but I don't think it's as bad as what has been said," claimed Skelton. "Kenny's a proven goalscorer. He did it in England in League One with Northampton Town and then he went to America and did it there as well. It's a bit like the Kris Boyd argument: he gets told that he can't do this and that but here's a lad that scores goals."
There is a genuine bond between the two men, as there is with the rest of Gretna's band of brothers who compressed a career's worth of highs and lows into four extraordinary seasons.
"I was at his wedding a fortnight ago," Skelton revealed. "He said then that he was probably going to sign for Hamilton so it would be nice if he got on against us. He's delighted to get back and have another chance in the SPL. Kenny always seems to score goals wherever he goes. He never really got the chance at Gretna, but when he did he scored goals.
"He made a difference to us when he was brought back (from loan at St Johnstone] and if he'd been in for the whole season the story could've been different.
"If you put the ball into the box he always seems to get on the end of it, which is something you can't really teach or coach. Scoring goals is the hardest thing in football and he does it regularly. We're well warned about him."
Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies is feeling more comfortable about today's encounter in the wake of Thursday night's Homecoming Scottish Cup win over Ayr United.
"If we'd lost against Ayr it would've been hard for the players because our fans would have been so deflated," he said.
"They might have become one of our problems between now and the end of the season but I think they'll be right behind us now. Some of them thought that Thursday's was the only result of the season that mattered."
Jefferies has watched with interest as Billy Reid and his squad have evolved during their first season in the SPL and he expects them to provide stubborn resistance this afternoon.
"What they've done is start to play a system that suits them, stealing a goal and then not giving much away," he said.
"For our part, we need to build on our Cup result. I'll take not playing well on Sunday for the result because it's the one that will keep us in touch with the top six."
