Kilmarnock boss Angelo Alessio will have been thrilled to finally win a competitive match in Scotland at the third time of asking.
Killie reached the quarter-final of the Betfred Cup after defeating Hamilton 1-0. This was Alessio’s first domestic win after two defeats in the opening league fixtures of the season.
Now they return to league action to take on Aberdeen. Arguably, this will be Alessio’s toughest test yet as Killie boss.
Set to face side they pipped to third place
The reason for that is that Killie will be facing the team that are arguably their biggest rivals in the battle for third place.
Any points from their first game of the season, against Rangers, would have been a bonus. They would have been expected to defeat Hamilton in their second game.
Now they come up against a team they will be rivals against this season. This match will be a true litmus test of where Kilmarnock stand under the management of Alessio.
A win would show more progress
A win over the Dons would show that the recent win over Hamilton has been built on, and that Alessio has righted the wrongs of the early weeks of the season.
A defeat though, would lead to yet more questions about Alessio’s future. This is a big game for Kilmarnock. It is not too soon to say that it could define their start to the season.