He was up against his former Burnley teammate – and Tommy Wright says Kilmarnock striker Kyle Lafferty was worth his weight in gold against Motherwell.
The experienced Northern Irish international was tasked with helping Killie defeat Motherwell, managed by former Burnley teammate Graham Alexander. He did just that and in some style too, scoring one and having a say in two goals during the 4-1 win.
Graham Alexander and Kyle Lafferty back in their Burnley days. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
It’s a huge victory that moves Killie off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership, heading into the split buoyed by their first win under Tommy Wright. The former Burnley striker, who has scored three times in four games, will be key to Killie’s Premiership survival.
Wright said: “He’s shown his value – he now has three goals in two games and he was involved in two other goals. He’s a presence, he can score goals and if you get him service we know what we’ll get. We have to keep him fit – he was tightening up a bit towards the end and we brought him off.
“But he’s going to be a big player for us in these last five games, as I knew he would be. I know the type of character he is – he can be a bit of a nightmare to look after because he likes a practical joke. But he’s a good professional and he wants to do well.”
Wright has to keep him fit. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Wright was pleased as a whole with Kilmarnock’s first win in 10 matches, explaining an exchange with fourth official Scott Lambie and why he was unhappy with Motherwell Chief Executive Alan Burrows.
He said: “I have a lot of time for Alan – everybody does. But I don’t see why he’s allowed access to the fourth official. It’s in the technical area but he’s not on the team-sheet and that’s what I said to the fourth official. I got a bit angry because I didn’t get any answers – but that tells a story.
“It was a good day, a good performance, though I’ve told the players that they’ve played better. And we’re also still looking for our first clean sheet. But the players can enjoy their weekend and it’s a few weeks since they’ve been able to do that.”
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