IF you could choose the manner of your first goal for a new club, then a 20-yard strike that proves to be the winner in a tricky away fixture
against a side that had previously thumped yours, might well feature highly on your wish-list.
Particularly when, like Kilmarnock's Stevie Smith, you are more readily associated with defensive diligence than goalscoring prowess.
Despite netting a brace of set-pieces for Rangers last season, and possessing a cultured left foot, the full-back's strike at Dens Park
on Saturday was only the fourth league goal of a far-travelled career that has seen him ply his trade across the border, with Norwich and
Preston, and across the Atlantic, with Portland Timbers in America's Pacific north-west.
So it was perhaps something of a surprise when he capitalised on a jinking run and astute lay-off from Rory McKenzie to drill low beyond
Dundee keeper Scott Bain's despairing dive three minutes into the second period. Not least, it appeared, to the man himself.
"I honestly didn't think it was going in when I took the shot," the left-back admitted. "I was actually surprised when I saw it hit
the net.
"I scored a couple of free-kicks for Rangers last year and, when you get into that kind of position about 20-25 yards out, it is worth a hit.
"It was good work from Rory to set me up. He is capable of that, he is a good out-ball for us and he can always bring the team up the pitch."
Smith's goal was the second of a highly satisfying afternoon for Kilmarnock, who were motivated by the memory of a 4-0 humbling at the
hands of their hosts when the sides opened their league campaign at Rugby Park back in August.
Since then, Locke's slew of summer signings have gelled and a dismal run of early-season form has been all but forgotten. This victory,
kick-started by Josh Magennis' powerful header on nine minutes, was the Ayrshire club's fourth in six league games.
Paul Hartley's Dundee, so dominant in the August meeting, were not at the races in the first half and only found some rhythm and threat when
substitutes Paul McGowan and Nicky Low were thrown into the fray in the wake of Smith's strike.
It was former Celtic, St Mirren and Morton midfielder McGowan's adroit back-post cross that allowed on-loan striker Rhys Healey to halve the
deficit with just over quarter of the contest remaining. Dundee's late pressure, however, proved to be too little, too late, although it still
required a magisterial late save from Kilmarnock keeper Jamie MacDonald, tipping a Paul McGinn header over, to secure the victory.
"McGowan changed the game for them," affirmed Smith. "They started to cause a lot more problems but we showed a lot of character to see out
the game."
Such determination was just one of the many necessary ingredients missing from Locke's side in the traumatic opening weeks of the campaign.
"The way we started the season wasn't good enough but the manager had brought in eight or nine players and it was always going to take a
bit of time to get right.
"We spoke during the week about how Dundee beat us on the opening day. That was the best any team has played against us all season. They tore
us apart.
"The manager has us working on a few things in training to nullify their forwards and it paid off.
"We don't have outstanding individual talents so we have to keep working hard if we want to keep winning games. If we stop doing that, we risk slipping back again."
Dundee defender McGinn was left to rue the form of MacDonald, arguably the outstanding keeper in the top flight. He said: "I couldn't get quite enough power on the header but it was a great save.
"We didn't deserve anything though, we under-performed and in the first half we were all over the place."
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