Kilmarnock F.C.

A history of Kilmarnock FC's overall league position from 1895 to 2019

The club's foundation dates back to the very earliest days of organised football in Scotland, when a group of local cricketers looking for a sporting pursuit to occupy them outside of the cricket season looked to form a football club. On 5 January 1869 the club was founded during a general meeting at Robertson's Temperance Hotel on Portland Street.[8] Originally they played a game more similar to rugby and these origins are reflected to this day by the name of the club's home ground – Rugby Park. The difficulty in organising fixtures under this code and the growing influence of Queen's Park soon persuaded them to adopt the association code instead. At this time, the club played games in a number locations including Holm Quarry, the Grange on Irvine Road and a location close to the current Rugby Park.

Following the formation of Scotland's earliest football clubs in the 1860s, football experienced a rapid growth but there was no formal structure, and matches were often arranged in a haphazard and irregular fashion.

Queen's Park, a Glasgow club founded in 1867, took the lead, and following an advertisement in a Glasgow newspaper in 1873, representatives from seven clubs – Queen's Park, Clydesdale, Vale of Leven, Dumbreck, Third Lanark, Eastern and Granville – attended a meeting on 13 March 1873. Furthermore, Kilmarnock sent a letter stating their willingness to form the Scottish Football Association.

That day, these eight clubs formed the Scottish Football Association, and resolved that: The clubs here represented form themselves into an association for the promotion of football according to the rules of The Football Association and that the clubs connected with this association subscribe for a challenge cup to be played for annually, the committee to propose the laws of the competition.

Kilmarnock also competed in the inaugural Scottish Cup tournament in 1873–74. Their 2–0 defeat against Renton in the First Round on 18 October 1873 is thought to have been the first match ever played in the competition.

Kilmarnock joined the Scottish League in 1895 and after winning consecutive Second Division titles were elected to the top flight for the first time in 1899. In 1920 Kilmarnock won the Scottish Cup for the first time, beating Albion Rovers at Hampden Park.[9][10] This was followed by their second success in 1929 where they beat massive favourites Rangers 2–0 at the national stadium in front of a crowd of 114,708 people.[11][12][13] They soon reached another final against the same opposition in 1932 but this time were beaten after a replay,[14] and the same outcome followed in the 1938 final against East Fife, Killie this time the team on the receiving end of an upset.[15]

In 1964–65 Heart of Midlothian fought out a championship title race with Willie Waddell's Kilmarnock. In the era of two points for a win Hearts were three points clear with two games remaining. Hearts drew with Dundee United meaning the last game of the season with the two title challengers playing each other at Tynecastle would be a league decider. Kilmarnock needed to win by a two-goal margin to take the title. Hearts entered the game as favourites with both a statistical and home advantage. They also had a solid pedigree of trophy-winning under Tommy Walker. Waddell's Kilmarnock in contrast had been nearly men. Four times in the previous five seasons they had finished league runners-up including Hearts’ triumph in 1960. Killie had also lost three domestic cup finals during the same period including the 1962 League Cup Final defeat to Hearts. Hearts had won five of the six senior cup finals they played in under Walker. Even the final they had lost was in a replay after drawing the first game. Hearts' Roald Jensen hit the post after six minutes. Kilmarnock then scored twice through Davie Sneddon and Brian McIlroy after 27 and 29 minutes. Alan Gordon had an excellent chance to clinch the title for Hearts in second half injury time but was denied by a Bobby Ferguson diving save pushing the ball past the post. The 2–0 defeat meant Hearts lost the title by an average of 0.042 goals.[16][17][18] Subsequently, Hearts were instrumental in pushing through a change to use goal difference to separate teams level on points. Ironically this rule change later denied Hearts the title in 1985–86.[19] This is the only time to date Killie have been Scottish champions.

Decline in the 1980s brought relegation to the Second Division. Killie returned to the top division with promotion in 1993. They lifted the Scottish Cup for the third time in 1997 thanks to a 1–0 victory over Falkirk in the final.

The club have qualified for European competitions on nine occasions, their best performance coming in the 1966–67 Fairs Cup when they progressed to the semi-finals, eventually being eliminated by Leeds United. The club is also one of only a few Scottish clubs to have played in all three European competitions (European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup).

Scene from the 2012 Scottish League Cup Final in which Kilmarnock beat Celtic 1–0

Kilmarnock reached the 2007 Scottish League Cup Final,[20] but suffered a 5–1 defeat in the final by Hibernian. After selling Steven Naismith to Rangers for a club-record fee in August 2007, Killie struggled in the 2007–08 Scottish Premier League, finishing in 11th place with 40 points. In January 2010, Kilmarnock were second bottom of the 2009–10 Scottish Premier League, with last placed Falkirk just two points behind. On 11 January 2010, Jim Jefferies left the club by "mutual consent" and Jimmy Calderwood was appointed manager. Kilmarnock then achieved a first win in nine years against Celtic. Continued poor form, however, meant a final day showdown at Rugby Park with Falkirk for SPL survival. Kilmarnock began the game with a two-point advantage over their rivals and a goalless draw on the day was good enough to secure top-flight football for another year. They ended the season with just 33 points, their worst points finish in the SPL.

After Calderwood left at the end of the season, Mixu Paatelainen was appointed manager for the next two years with an option for a third.[21] Despite being the favourites for relegation that season, Kilmarnock finished the season in fifth position. Paatelainen left the club to become manager of Finland and his assistant Kenny Shiels was appointed manager. Kilmarnock progressed to the 2012 Scottish League Cup Final with wins against Queen of the South, East Fife and Ayr United in an Ayrshire derby at Hampden. Kilmarnock won the League Cup for the first time, as they defeated Celtic 1–0 in the final; Dieter van Tornhout scored the only goal six minutes from time, with goalkeeper Cammy Bell named Man of the Match.[22] In June 2013, after three years at Kilmarnock, manager Kenny Shiels was sacked by chairman Michael Johnston after a "mutual agreement" between the two.[23][24]

Allan Johnston signed a two-year contract and was appointed manager on 24 June 2013, with Sandy Clark as the assistant manager.[25] Clark left his role in the summer of 2014 with the club looking to go in a new direction, and ex-Killie player and former Hearts manager Gary Locke was appointed as his assistant. Johnston was sacked in February 2015 after informing the press of his intention to leave in the summer, before discussing this with the board. Locke was placed in interim charge, before signing a three-year deal in April 2015.[26] Kilmarnock went on to lose seven of their final eight games of the season, but were spared the play-off spot after a 4–1 win over Partick Thistle.

The 2015–16 season would prove difficult for the team. Locke was removed from his position as manager in February 2016, with Lee Clark being appointed as his replacement.[27] Despite a small uplift in form, the team finished in 11th place and faced a relegation play-off against Championship side Falkirk in order to stay in the top flight. Despite losing 0–1 in the first leg, Killie fought back and comfortably won the second leg 4–0 (4–1 on aggregate), securing the club's status in the Scottish Premiership for another season. Clark would leave Kilmarnock for a return to England with Bury in February 2017, exactly a year after his arrival.[28] Former Rangers player Lee McCulloch, assistant to both Locke and Clark, was placed in temporary charge until the end of the season, achieving an eighth place finish. The following season saw another poor start, with an early defeat to rivals Ayr United in the league cup group stages, followed by a disappointing start to the league campaign. McCulloch was sacked in September 2017 with the club rooted to the bottom of the table.

Steve Clarke, appointed manager in 2017, led the club to 3rd place in the 2018–19 Scottish Premiership and secured a place in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League

In an unexpected move, Kilmarnock appointed former Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion coach Steve Clarke. It was Clarke's first involvement with the Scottish game in 30 years and his appointment preempted a dramatic upturn in form, with the club ultimately finishing in fifth place, earning him the SFWA Manager of the Year award in the process.[29] The 2018–19 season saw Kilmarnock celebrate their 150th anniversary, and the team continued their strong form in the league, both home and away, culminating in a final day fixture against Rangers at Rugby Park. Kilmarnock won the match 2–1 and the result secured a third place finish in the league, which guaranteed European football for the first time since 2001. The season's results also set a new record points total for the club and their highest placed finish in the league since 1966. The following day, Clarke was signed by the Scottish FA to become the head coach of the Scotland national team.

Following the departure of Steve Clarke, Kilmarnock had three managers whose spell in charge was brief, beginning with former Juventus and Chelsea assistant coach Angelo Alessio. In Alessio's second match in charge, Kilmarnock lost in Europa League qualification to Welsh Premier League club Connah's Quay Nomads.[30] Alessio was sacked in December 2019, with the team sitting in fifth place.[31] Following his departure, Alex Dyer, assistant coach to both Alessio and Clarke, was appointed on an initial caretaker basis until the end of the season, before all football was abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dyer's services were retained by the club and he signed a new contract extension in June 2020.[32] However, following a poor start to the new season, he left the club by mututal consent in January 2021.[33] In February 2021, former St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright was appointed as the club's third manager in two years.[34]

On 24 May 2021, following a play−off defeat to Dundee, Kilmarnock were relegated to the Scottish Championship, bringing an end to their 28 year stay in the top flight.[35] Tommy Wright was sacked in December 2021 with the team sitting fourth place in the Championship. Former Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes was quickly appointed as his successor. Results improved, and by the end of the 2021–22 season Killie were promoted back to the top flight of Scottish football at the first attempt, defeating closest challengers Arbroath 2–1 on the penultimate matchday with a dramatic last-minute winner from Blair Alston.[36]

As of 31 August 2022[40]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ENG Zach Hemming (on loan from Middlesbrough) 2 DF  SCO Lewis Mayo (on loan from Rangers) 3 DF  ENG Jeriel Dorsett (on loan from Reading) 4 MF  IRL Alan Power (captain) 5 DF  WAL Ash Taylor 6 DF  ENG Chris Stokes 7 MF  SCO Rory McKenzie 8 MF  SCO Blair Alston 9 FW  SCO Oli Shaw 10 MF  NIR Jordan Jones (on loan from Wigan Athletic) 11 MF  SCO Daniel Armstrong 15 MF  SCO Fraser Murray 16 FW  SCO Scott Robinson 17 MF  NIR Brad Lyons 18 DF  SCO Calum Waters

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 DF  WAL Joe Wright 20 GK  ENG Sam Walker 21 MF  SCO Kerr McInroy 22 MF  NIR Liam Donnelly 23 FW  IRL Deji Sotona (on loan from Nice) 24 DF  AUS Dylan McGowan 25 DF  ENG Ryan Alebiosu (on loan from Arsenal) 26 FW  WAL Christian Doidge (on loan from Hibernian) 27 FW  SCO Innes Cameron 28 FW  NIR Kyle Lafferty 31 MF  SCO Liam Polworth 32 MF  SCO Steven Warnock 33 DF  ENG Ben Chrisene (on loan from Aston Villa) 34 MF  SCO David Watson 50 GK  ENG Gary Woods

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 12 DF  NIR Lee Hodson (on loan at Partick Thistle) 14 DF  ENG Jack Sanders (on loan at Cove Rangers) 30 GK  SCO Curtis Lyle (on loan at East Kilbride)

No. Pos. Nation Player 35 DF  SCO Jon Craig (on loan at Clyde) — FW  SCO Kyle Connell (on loan at Raith Rovers)

• Scottish Football League (first tier):
  • Winners: 1964–65
    • Runners-up (4): 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64
• Scottish First Division (second tier):[44]
  • Winners: 1897–98, 1898–99, 2021–22
    • Runners-up (6): 1953–54, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1992–93
• Scottish Second Division (third tier):
  • Runners-up: 1989–90
• Scottish Cup:
  • Winners: 1919–20, 1928–29, 1996–97
    • Runners-up (5): 1897–98,[45] 1931–32, 1937–38, 1956–57, 1959–60
• Scottish League Cup:
  • Winners: 2011–12
    • Runners-up (5): 1952–53, 1960–61, 1962–63, 2000–01, 2006–07
• Scottish Qualifying Cup:
  • Winners: 1896–97

• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup:
  • Semi-finalists: 1966–67
• International Soccer League:
  • Runners-up: 1960
• Tennent Caledonian Cup:
  • Winners: 1979–80
• UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking:
  • Winners: 1999
• Ayrshire Cup (44): 1884, 1885, 1886, 1891, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959 (shared), 1960, 1962, 1966, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998[46]

Source:[47]

• The Founding Fathers – Founders of Kilmarnock Football Club
• Kilmarnock FC 1964–65 Squad
• Hugh Allen M.B.E. – Club Physiotherapist 1968–2002
• Willie Culley – All time record goalscorer
• Alan Robertson – Most Scottish League Appearances
• Mattha Smith – Scottish Cup Winner 1920 & 1929

• James Fowler – Captain 2012 League Cup Winners
• Tommy McLean – Golden Era Award
• Stuart McLean – 2nd Highest League Appearances
• Ray Montgomerie – Captain 1997 Scottish Cup Winners
• Eddie Morrison – Highest Post-War Goalscorer
• Manuel Pascali – 1st International Award

• Frank Beattie – Golden Era Award
• Paul Clarke – Legends Award
• Frédéric Dindeleux – International Award
• Ronnie Hamilton – Legends Award
• Garry Hay – Legends Award
• Derrick McDicken – Legends Award
• Willie Waddell – Manager 1964–65 League Championship Winners
• Bobby Williamson – Manager 1997 Scottish Cup Winners

• Kenny Sheils – Manager 2012 Scottish League Cup Final
• Alan McCulloch – Former Goalkeeper
• Kris Boyd – Scored 121 League Goals