Marley Watkins believes Kilmarnock deserved their narrow victory over Rangers on Sunday, insisting his winning goal wasn’t sealing a smash and grab result.
The Ayrshire club picked up only their second Scottish Premiership win of the season, yet their performance against Rangers displayed why they are a match for anyone at Rugby Park.
Watkins, 34, had a brilliant opportunity to score earlier in the game but wasted no time when he pounced on a defensive mistake and fired beyond Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland with three minutes of regulation time remaining.
“Yeah, it was a great win,” he said. “I should’ve taken my first half chance but I’m just buzzing I managed to get the winning goal.
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Derek McInnes says strong mental strength key to Killmarnock’s unbeaten run
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Rangers weakness Derek McInnes was confident Killie could exploit
“I thought we deserved it as we had the better chances against a quality team.
“At home we always feel that we have a chance. Even if we miss one, we know we’ll get another.
“It was a great ball in by Davie (Watson). Another great impact off the bench from our subs.”
Killie’s success mounts further pressure on the Rangers board with many supporters calling for their manager Philippe Clement to be relieved from his duties.
Derek McInnes' Kilmarnock actually have a credible home record versus both sides of the Glasgow divide in recent seasons and they also held both Tromso and FC Copenhagen to European stalemates earlier this season.
“We can beat anyone anywhere, but especially here at home,” the two-times capped Wales internationalist said.
“When we’re at it, at our best, then we’ll give anyone a game. You saw it here against Copenhagen.”
Watkins acknowledged Kilmarnock’s slow start to the league campaign but believes their Rangers triumph, which took their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions, has been down to a much-needed reset within the squad.
“We’ve had a bit of a reset,” he explained.
“I think a lot of our poor start was our own doing with sending offs.
“I don’t think it was as bad as it seemed, but it’s good to get the two wins in a row now. We’ll look to build on it in the next game and keep it going.
“It gives us confidence, but I felt we always knew we could beat anyone here.
“It’s always good to go out there and actually do it, though.
“Kicking on is important. We set the standards high last season, and we’ve got to make sure we reach those again."
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