Super Killie Away Europa League edition - Bruges, here we go

Come to think of it, that might be downplaying the timescale of it ever so slightly. It’s been six weeks since the Europa League draw paired us with Cercle Brugge, but in reality, an away day on foreign shores has left us pining for such a trip for 22 years! It’ll be the first in my lifetime of supporting the club (Rhyl – as decent a day out as it was - absolutely doesn’t count) and I cannot wait to get on the plane at Edinburgh airport on Wednesday morning to embark on the short journey to Belgium.

Thousands of Killie fans will begin their journey to Bruges today, tomorrow and Thursday as the trip of a lifetime awaits. To be travelling to mainland Europe with such vast numbers is unheard of for a club of Killie’s stature, and it may never occur again. The away allocation of 2,500 sold out within days – and there will be hundreds who make the voyage to the north of Belgium who will go without tickets. It’s staggering when you think about it that the allocation offered by Cercle didn’t meet the steep demand. I’m certain there will be a few familiar faces in the home end, as they do whatever it takes to watch the game at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

Grote Markt in the city centre will be a sea of blue and white come Thursday lunchtime – and what a sight that will be. We will all do our best to display our amateur photography skills as we capture scenes that will live with us for the rest of our lives. I feel it’s important that those making the journey take every second in, though, and without going all spiritual on you here, live in the moment. Fans who made the journey to Stavanger, Norway in September 2002 will tell you in no uncertain terms that you never know when the next time a proper European away day, where half the core fan base will travel en masse like this, will come around again despite the prospects of the current team under Derek McInnes continuing to look bright.

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Chants of ‘Hello, hello’ will be bellowed on repeat. Locals of the city, particularly around the market square, will definitely know all of the words by around 7pm on Wednesday evening I’ll guess. The local authority issued a message to their citizens on Saturday warning them to be vigilant of the large crowds set to gather in their city, but not to be alarmed because the fan base has a ‘positive and friendly’ reputation. Much like the 800-odd Cercle fans who gathered in Kilmarnock town centre on Thursday, I have every confidence our Belgian counterparts will come away from this experience, no matter how the tie ends, knowing that they’ve met a good bunch.

I suppose all that’s left to say is let’s go and enjoy it! There’s not much else for it at this point after so long of waiting for these few days to roll around. Whether you’re flying, driving, getting the train or bus, we’re all there to support Ayrshire’s finest and will all be united in our undying love for the team. The pints will flow, chocolate will be scoffed, friends will be made and new memories created.

The manager, players and staff have done their bit by keeping the tie very much alive heading over there. That was the main advantage of playing at home in the first leg. Cercle undoubtedly looks like they can be a very good team, but they still seem to be a few weeks short of hitting those sorts of levels. Purely judging them in the first leg, a fair summation in my eyes would be that they’re essentially the Belgian Kilmarnock – but with a lot more money!

They’ll have flurries of attacks, of which no one can be under any illusions. Miron Muslic, Cercle’s head coach, seems confident Kevin Denkey will get chances on home soil. They’ll likely have the bulk of the ball, although their work rate out of possession was definitely more impressive than their capabilities on the ball at Rugby Park. We will also have our moments, though, and that’s what is important to remember. Set pieces and crosses into the box – our players have definitely shown they can be got at. While this second leg will be an incredibly tough match, it’s all to play for, and there’s no reason why Killie won’t play Molde in the next round of Europa League qualifying.

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