Even prior to his arrival at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock defender Robbie Deas felt the club's atmosphere had the potential to elevate both him and the team to greater success this season.

Kilmarnock know that if they can secure a victory against Heart of Midlothian on Saturday, they will clinch a European spot for the first time in five years.

Manager, Derek McInnes, has been intensifying his efforts to reshape the club since he assumed control in January 2022. At that point Kilmarnock sat fourth in Scotland's second tier, now a fourth-place finish in the Premiership seems highly probable.

And Deas, 24, admits he was shocked how high the standard was when he came through the door last summer, but has fully embraced the challenge. 

“The boys have spoken about how difficult it was last season when they were fighting at the bottom to survive, and here we are now fighting for Europe," he said.

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"It shows you how far the club has come. It’s an environment you want to be around all the time and you want to strive for every season.

“I knew after speaking to the manager in the summer that there was a rebuild on and the club is on the up, and you can see that.

“He spoke really well and it was hard to say no with how well he spoke. The ambitions were set and it’s one of the main reasons I signed here.

“I was a wee bit in shock how high the standard was when I came in for my first couple of training sessions.

“After that I knew we had a good group here and we would do well. We all believe in each other and we are not just a team of individuals.”

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Deas has flourished since pitching up in Ayrshire from Inverness. 

And he insists that the belief his gaffer has shown in him plus the willingness from his teammates to improve one another have been key to Killie's success. 

He stated: “I have played in a few positions and he (McInnes) has given me the belief to do what I can in each position. It has made me get better as the season goes on.

“It’s the whole staff as well. I’m in a surrounding now where we have sport science, we have a gym set-up. I’m in every day working with the sports science, we have the coaches doing extra after training, just wanting to make me better.

“Even the players just want to make each other better, which is the most important thing. The boys want to make each other better and want to do better, which is what you want to be around.”