Kyle Vassell is a man used to being on the move.
The striker has turned out for 20 clubs in 13 years as a professional player, with his career taking him from Lancashire to California.
Kilmarnock became the latest club to join that lengthy list when Derek McInnes signed the powerful forward in January this year. He initially joined on a short-term deal as he left San Diego Loyal for Ayrshire.
Although, in an unusual move for Vassell, he recently penned a new two-year contract to extend his stay at Rugby Park until 2025.
The Milton Keynes-born frontman insists he feels at home in Killie, with various factors showing him that the grass isn’t always greener.
“It was an easy decision for many reasons really,” Vassell explained. “I am enjoying my football so much; the gaffer has allowed me freedom and has given me so much confidence. He makes it easy for me and the fans have been brilliant since I came in.
READ MORE: Derek McInnes excited for bottom six scrap after Killie finally win away
“The club bent over backward to make my girlfriend and I feel welcome when we arrived in Scotland. All of those little things add up and it was easy for me.
“I had no hesitation in signing the deal because I don’t even want to think about us being relegated. I am doing all I can to keep us in this division.
“If we go down it would be less than ideal, but I am just focusing on us being a Premiership club. I don’t worry about the what-ifs.
“It feels right for me to be here, and I am enjoying it. I don’t enjoy losing, no one does, and no one wants to be in a relegation fight.
“But when I am playing, I feel so comfortable, and I haven’t had that a lot in my career. Only a few times has it happened and what I have learned in all my moves, is when you have that happiness cherish it and keep hold of it. Sometimes you think the grass is greener and it isn’t.
“Yes, you move on as you have opportunities you have to take, like going to the Championship in England. But the grass isn’t always greener and there is an environment here where I feel like I am thriving.
“It would be silly of me not to continue my career here. For the first time in three years, I was on standby for Northern Ireland, so I am moving in the right direction.
“I don’t feel the need to have a home, but my girlfriend Jasmine does. I wanted her to be settled but I could move around, no problem as I am used to it. It is important to have somewhere you are content, which can bring consistency as that is the most important thing for a player.”
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McInnes is regarded as one of the best man-managers in the country. His people skills have been well-documented in the past from his successful experiences at Aberdeen.
Vassell insists he’d run through a brick wall for his gaffer, revealing that it’s the little things that make him the manager he is, as he provided a recent example.
READ MORE: Kyle Vassell pens new two-year Kilmarnock contract
The striker added: “It was easy to come to Kilmarnock. Everyone knows about California and a lot of people want to live there. It is an amazing place with incredible weather but that was never a factor for me.
“Football came first and when I went over there, I went to play for Landon Donovan. If he had been working in the coldest part of Canada, I would have gone there.
“I had to think of the best place for me to play football and after speaking to the gaffer here it was an easy decision.
“It’s just the little things with the gaffer. For example, we had an accident with the dog [Peanut] before the Inverness game and I stayed down with the missus it was touch and go whether the dog was going to die.
“The gaffer asked Burkey (Chris Burke) to drive me up on the day of the game. Loads of little compounding things to go with how he is as a manager and how he coaches me, how he speaks to me and gets his point across.”
Vassell has netted twice in his Killie career so far, with both of those goals coming in the Scottish Cup.
He’s determined to get off the mark in the Premiership to fire Killie to top-flight safety. He said: “No, you haven’t seen the best of me yet because you have not seen me put the ball in the back of the net consistently. But outside of the box, I’d say I’m almost where I want to be. There are still things in games I feel I could have done better.”
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