This piece is an extract from yesterday's The Rugby Road Gates newsletter, which is emailed out at 6pm every Wednesday. To receive our full, free Kilmarnock newsletter straight to your email inbox, click here.

Greetings of the season, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. It’s a shame the weather is failing to match this festive time of year.

As I write this, the rain is currently hammering down across the west coast of Scotland and further afield. Some of the Premiership’s midweek fixtures have fallen foul to the conditions, with Ross County unable to make it out of the Highlands for their scheduled game at Ibrox, and Aberdeen vs Motherwell also postponed. Those travelling to the matches must be put first and I’m glad to see common sense prevail for such long journeys.

I stress again, as things stand while writing, Killie’s 20-odd mile trip to Paisley this evening remains a goer. It’s the Buddies up next for Derek McInnes’ side in what is usually always a tasty affair. Even though it’s the shortest trip of the season for Ayrshire’s finest, with trains being cancelled I hope everyone attending the sold-out away end has a safe journey.

READ MORE: Here's hoping Killie's Magennis injury issue isn't serious

There’s a huge opportunity to open up a gap on St Mirren by taking all three points this evening. After all, this is the team that has been commended by various pundits all season and they currently *checks notes* sit below Killie in fifth. Refraining from any other cheeky comments, of course, that could change tonight, so it’s important Killie at least brings a point back down the road and maintains their unbeaten run stretching back to the start of the month. With another home game on the horizon this weekend against Dundee, hopefully, another win will be racked up.

Anyway, with the New Year also just around the corner, rather than looking back I’ve chosen to look forward and make some predictions. None are too outlandish, but we will wait and see in the months ahead if I should become a psychic or stick to the day job. Enjoy!

Where will Killie finish the 2023/24 league campaign?

Fifth. I believe the season will finish with Killie earning a spot in the summer’s European qualifiers. What a dream that would be, eh? Alright, it wouldn’t match the heroics of the 2018/19 campaign, but it would signal a huge step in the right direction. Considering how close relegation was last term, any sort of improvement on the tenth-placed finish would’ve been acceptable. Given the overall poor standard of the Premiership, the upper echelons of the table are where Killie should be aiming. I’m backing the team to build on its solid start and give us a memorable end to the season.

Will Killie return to Hampden?

Yes. However, I don’t think it will come in this season’s Scottish Cup, sadly. It’s been too long since Killie had a proper day in the sun in that competition, so hopefully, the club can achieve that feat by going on a decent run this term. For whatever reason I just have more of a feeling that our next trip to the national stadium will be next season, in the latter months of 2024, for the semi-finals of the Viaplay Cup.

How many players will Kilmarnock sell in 2024?

Three. The price of success means that clubs outside the proper elite level of the game need to capitalise and sell on their players for the maximum possible amount. A quick disclaimer – I have absolutely zero insider knowledge on this subject at all – it’s purely my opinion as a supporter. I reckon Danny Armstrong, David Watson and Brad Lyons – probably in that exact order - could all be away from the club over the next 12 months, with a decent sum of cash pocketed in return. We all know the former is highly sought after by clubs across the UK and further afield, so if any player is to be sold in January, it’s almost certainly him for no less than £1m. Watson just recently extended his deal until 2026, so there’s no rush to see him leave. Ideally, Killie will get another full season out of him, but it depends on the offer. The club should be looking to break its transfer record of £2m received for Steven Naismith with regards to the teenager. Lyons won’t touch those figures, however, I could easily foresee a Championship or League One team forking out £300-500K for the Northern Ireland international if he keeps up his superbly consistent form.

Will the manager stay put?

Yes. I’m quite certain McInnes will be linked with whatever job becomes available whether it be Hearts, Hibs or Aberdeen once again, but I’m confident the 52-year-old will show loyalty and recognise the stability he’s got behind him at Rugby Park. Like plenty of others, I could see him taking over from Steve Clarke in the national team job one day. The only other realistic job I think he would leave for is somewhere like West Brom due to his previous connections. I suppose much depends on the start of next season too.

Will Killie beat Rangers and/or Celtic?

Of course!

What kind of Killie content do you want to see in this newsletter in 2024? There are plenty of ideas in the bank, however, I’m open to suggestions moving forward. Send me an email at ewan.paton@newsquest.co.uk or my DMs are open on X (Twitter) where you can find me: @epates_22.