Killie Histories

Billy Stark's pre-Kilmarnock career saw him win multiple major trophies in Scotland before he joined Celtic - testament to the quality of the game in general and of the midfielder specifically. So when, in 1990, Billy agreed to be part of the Jim Fleeting revolution at the club with big plans for the future, much was expected. Yet it did not work out as planned. A serious of injuries restricted his involvement and effectiveness. The real Billy Stark story begins on his return to the club, having spent a year coaching with Hamilton. As Tommy Burns' assistant manager, the push for promotion began…

A huge fans' favourite of the mid-1970s, local boy Iain McCulloch did the hard graft to make it in the game. From an early narrow escape, signing a contract with a club he couldn't travel to play for, through years working as a heating engineer, the midfielder's father played a crucial role in guiding him. For Iain, being the best he could be was the focus. His pride at signing for Kilmarnock is clear, as is his fondness for the support who crowned him Player of the Year. www.killiehistories.com/iainmcculloch

Synonymous with the club across several decades in numerous roles, Jimmy Clark is perhaps best known as the trusted first-team coach when Kilmarnock lifted the Scottish Cup in 1997. A tactician with a focus on the defensive side of the game, it was his set piece plotting which set the platform for Paul Wright's winner on that sunny day in May. Jimmy's story is much, much more than those five years with Bobby Williamson and Gerry McCabe. A supporter since the 1950s, he fulfilled a dream when he became a key part of the early 1980s Killie midfield. Later in the decade he returned as a coach, only to find himself restored to the starting 11!   www.killiehistories.com/jimmyclark

Kevin McGowne chose just the right time to join his local team. When St Johnstone made the central defender available for transfer in 1996, Alex Totten swooped. A lot was packed into his six years: two cup finals, a 1997 winner's medal, and numerous European campaigns. Good in the air and on the deck, his sterling performances alongside Ray Montgomerie made all the difference in the late 1990s as the club went from strength to strength. But it could have been very different, with time spent away from the game as a young player, followed by a move from striker to right back and, eventually, to the centre of defence.

Kenny Shiels will forever be associated with one of the most special of moments in Kilmarnock Football Club's history: in 2012, he led the club to its fifth and still most recent trophy. The League Cup success should not have come as a surprise considering the manager's track record of surprising the favourites on several occasions in his career in Northern Ireland. It was an inauspicious start to life in Ayrshire. Coming into the club as Mixu Paatelainen's assistant, surgery determined that he would set up his first training session on crutches. Things improved quickly though, and 2010/11 became memorable for a revolution in playing squad and footballing philosophy. And when Mixu left for the Finland national team job, Killie had a ready-made replacement with more than ten years of managerial experience. And the next chapter began; one which would lead, in 2022, to his induction into the club's Hall of Fame.

Dundee United's loss was certainly Killie's gain. After an incredibly difficult year with ‘The Tangerines', both parties decided to cut their losses and part ways. Promotion-seeking Kilmarnock - at that stage a part-time club - moved fast to secure the tall striker with an impressive one-in-two league strike rate. John Bourke quickly became a fans' favourite: ‘The King of Rugby Park', no less. His presence and outball produced 21 league goals as promotion back to the top flight was achieved in 1979. Here, John discusses his immense pride at representing Killie, his style of play, the players who brought the best out of him, and his profound regret at deciding not to continue his time with club.

After an underwhelming loan spell in 2015, few Kilmarnock fans would have anticipated the next chapter in Stuart Findlay's story. Two years later, his “stubborn” nature led the defender to give Ayrshire a second shot. And it proved a wise decision. In the following four seasons, Stuart was at the heart of some of the most memorable moments in the club's modern history. And his relationship with the club did not end with a life-changing move to the USA.   www.killiehistories.com/stuartfindlay

From early career doubts, and disenchantment as a struggling left back, Mark ‘Mavis' Reilly reflects on the journey to midfield linchpin of a Kilmarnock team who enjoyed a decade of 1990s success. As was the case for many of his teammates, the inspirational words of Tommy Burns set him on the right path. On the 25th anniversary of Kilmarnock FC's third Scottish Cup triumph, the players' player gives an insight into the win, and the dedication required to make it to the top of the professional game. 

Lifting a trophy for the club you support is surely the ultimate ambition of every player. For Garry Hay, that long-held dream became a reality for Kilmarnock in 2012, starring in the club's - as yet - only Scottish League Cup success. Patience and pragmatism were as much part of the left back's emergence as his wicked deliveries from out wide. Watching fellow youth team players Alex Burke and David Bagan's promotion to the first team in 1997 - and himself being a part of the iconic Scottish Cup celebrations of that season - only strengthened his resolve to one day be in their position. That it was another 15 years until he achieved the goal says everything about his ability, loyalty, and determination. From a thrilling home debut in 1999, through three cup final appearances, to eventual Hall of Fame induction, Garry Hay's time with Killie sees him sit in 15th place in the club's all-time appearance list alongside some of the players he dreamed of emulating.

Stuart Layburn played just seven times for Kilmarnock yet his story spans some of the club's greatest moments. From a family of Killie supporters, he followed the team home and away from a young age before becoming a reserve team player in the early 1960s. To be a part-time player in that era was both a blessing and a curse. Stuart was part of a squad which made a serious challenge for honours in the first half of the decade. Yet he knew that any opportunities in the first team would only ever be fleeting at best: his full-time rivals for his defensive position, Andy King and Matt Watson, were among the best in the country. His time with his club was eventful though, encompassing a Reserve Cup triumph, an incredible 9-2 win, a Scottish Cup semi-final appearance and a place in the squad that travelled to Tynecastle on the famous, title-winning day in April 1965. A dedicated full back who was “happy just being the reserve” in a golden age for the club.   www.killiehistories.com/stuartlayburn

A caper in the 1969/70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup presented Scotland's oldest professional club with some of their most resilient European adversaries.   Windswept, militaria-laden passport officers flanked by lines of fighter jets, a henchman goalkeeper specialising in lethal pull-and-punch handshakes, and a referee who “didn't see nothing” led our adventurers to a chilly denouement: a game of football's desperate, wheezing, grasping attempt to break free of its predictable fate.   Kilmarnock Football Club elder statesmen, Jimmy Cook, Ross Mathie and George Maxwell look back at the adventures of a lifetime.   www.killiehistories.com/fairscup

As both player and manager, Bobby Williamson played a key role in vital periods of Kilmarnock's modern history. Signed to bring the tenacity, guile and, crucially, goals to the side chasing promotion back to the top flight, 1990 marked the start of a 12-year association with the club. Bobby's on-field successes with the club include a famous winner at Ibrox Park and involvement in both the promotion-winning side of 1992-93 and the team which then secured Premier Division safety in a highly competitive league the following year. However, it is arguably Bobby Williamson's managerial career which brought him the greatest success in Ayrshire. Winning the Scottish Cup in 1997 - the club's fourth of five trophies in its 152-year history - launched the rookie manager into European football; a feat he would achieve several times. His recruitment saw international stars Pat Nevin, Ian Durrant and Ally McCoist entertain alongside international stars in a period of vibrancy for the club. Induction into the Hall of Fame in 2018 was a fitting tribute for a popular and successful Kilmarnock FC figure.   www.killiehistories.com/bobbywilliamson

As an epilogue to a playing career that included fans' favourite status at Clyde, Chelsea, Everton and Tranmere, what was it about 28-times-capped Pat Nevin's brief spell at Kilmarnock that left such an impression on him, to the extent that he describes it as the most enjoyable in his distinguished career?   www.killiehistories.com/patnevin

A modest marksman with an eye for the big moments, Tom Brown's rapid albeit belated rise from junior football in the summer of 1993 marked a new beginning. Following several ultimately unsuccessful attempts to realise his dream of professional status, it was another ‘TB', the iconic Tommy Burns, who took a low stakes gamble (£160 per week low) by inviting Tom to train with the club for an extended trial period. Those battling qualities Killie fans came to admire in four successful years with the club secured a contract and a shot at Premier Division football. And what a start it was. An injury to Bobby Williamson resulted in the number 9 shirt hanging on Tom Brown's Rugby Park peg for Kilmarnock's first game of their long-awaited return to the topflight. One smart, instinctive finish later and he's in the Sunday Mail team of the week! A fast start to a journey which ended at Hampden Park in May 1997…   www.killiehistories.com/tombrown

Bobby Williamson had an eye for a Bosman free transfer signing. During the pre-season training camp of 1999, he invited Freddie Dindeleux on trial with the carrot of a new-TV-deal-funded contract for the French defender, recently released by his boyhood team, Lille. Lacking pace and physicality, with not a word of English, his eventual induction to the Kilmarnock Football Club Hall of Fame would have seemed unlikely in that first summer. But after a slow start, Freddie began to win over team mates and supporters alike. After all, being able to run fast isn't everything. Freddie's intuitive game awareness and positioning more than made up for any shortcomings. Bobby Williamson saw it straight away and, in due course, many would wonder how in fact the Kilmarnock manager had managed to sign Freddie in the first place… But what else gave him that universal popularity which endures to this day? “The hair…THE HAIR!” A stylish left-sided defender, a cult hero and a Hall of Fame member: Frédéric Dindeleux.   www.killiehistories.com/freddiedindeleux

Season 2021/22 sees the return of the Ayrshire Derby as a league fixture for the first time in almost three decades. Killie Histories heard from Hall of Fame member Garry Hay, reflecting on an epic, two-tie Scottish Cup battle in 2009. Monsoon conditions; penalty miss; last minute equaliser; topless celebration with referee; handball goal; and a red card…what a 180 minutes!   www.killiehistories.com/derbydays

In May 2010, Kilmarnock’s last day, nerve-shredding scoreless draw with Falkirk kept the Ayrshire club in the Premier League - just. But, with Killie, the unexpected is always just around the corner. And the philosophy of the club was about to change significantly. New manager Mixu Paatelainen brought with him an approach to football that placed an emphasis on technicality, style, tactical awareness and, most importantly, entertainment. After a slow start, a 3-0 win at Tynecastle started the motor running. But by April 2011 it was all over. Mixu - soon to be named Manager of the Season - had excelled, and he received an offer he found impossible to refuse: manager of his national team. Finland’s gain was certainly Killie’s loss but what a year it was with Mixu Paatelainen...what a very good signing!   www.killiehistories.com/mixupaatelainen

There is so much more to Paul Wright than scoring the winning goal in the 1997 Scottish Cup final. But that is no bad place to start. His poacher’s strike against Falkirk is the most important of his 72 in Ayrshire. Killie were fortunate to acquire Paul Wright. In peak form at St Johnstone, the striker suffered a serious injury which ruled him out for over a year. Alex Totten, keen to work once more with a trusted goalscorer, brought ‘Bunion’ to Ayrshire for £340,000 on transfer deadline day 1995. And it was a slow start as Paul fought to regain the fitness and match sharpness required. But with a full pre-season completed, 1995/96 saw a much better return: 13 league goals. And the next season, he finished the club’s top scorer a second time. Although fondly remembered for his goalscoring - many of his strikes being thunderous drives requiring minimal backlift - Paul Wright’s game intelligence and link up play made him a highly valued member.   www.killiehistories.com/paulwright

Every team in the 1970s needed their hard men. Or so the truism goes. But was that all there was to the imposing six feet three inches of Derrick McDicken; being ‘tough’? In short: no. But, as Paul Clarke, central defensive partner of over 300 games, attests, there is no doubt that ‘Big D’ was a hard player on the park! In a twelve year first team career at Kilmarnock Football Club, Derrick McDicken wore every shirt on his back apart from the goalkeeper’s. His versatility did not - as is often the case - cloud judgement of him as a player. There was no doubt that centre half was his best position. That said, even when asked to play on the wing, Derrick did so, without hesitation. The interest from West Ham United in the menacing big stopper is well-documented, as is his role in the famous Scottish Cup shock of 1978, his winner and goal-saving clearance contributing to a fondly-remembered victory against Celtic. In this episode of Killie Histories, Derrick McDicken reflects on those moments, gives an insight into the dressing room characters and the renowned defence he starred in, and he talks about why joining Kilmarnock meant so much to him. A Hall of Famer and a fans’ favourite: Big D. www.killiehistories.com/derrick-mcdicken

The 1990s: a decade of success-on-success for Kilmarnock Football Club. Mark Reilly played over 300 games in teams which brought Killie back to the top table in Scottish football. Here, the defensive midfielder, so popular with his teammates, chooses his strongest team from the wonderful ‘AT Mays years’. AT Mays, you ask? Check out the splendid retro kits!

Craig Brown's Kilmarnock Carol: A Christmas special, featuring the legendary Dundee league-winner and Scotland manager and his reminiscences of Kilmarnock greats of years gone by.Stave 1: Ghosting Steve ClarkeStave 2: Mr Waddell and the year nineteen hundred and fifty sevenStave 3: Young Brown and of legendary momentsStave 4: Merriment with that good fellow Mr BurnsStave 5: The ending of Mr Montgomerie 

A tenacious, ubiquitous presence in the Kilmarnock midfield - and defence - in a career of three decades, 13 years and close to 400 games. George Maxwell made no opponent's life easy!George reflects on the 2-0 victory against Celtic in 1979, Kilmarnock making it a full year unbeaten at home.And, of course, he talks about having the hardest shot in Scottish football - and the trophy to prove it!From joining 'the team of the 60s' to some challenging years ahead, George gives a fascinating, footballer's take on the game in the 1970s.

Following in the footsteps of a famous relative is always difficult. Following the most successful player in a club's history - his grandfather Mattha Smith - is nearly impossible. Creative midfielder Gordon Smith more than lived up to the expectation. A talented and dynamic central midfielder converted to a left winger, he was a driving force behind some of Killie's best moments in the 1970s.Here, he reflects on a famous win against Rangers, his role in a thumping of local rivals...and the possible transfer to Manchester...or Ayr United!

Ross Mathie - the popular Kilmarnock number 9 and one of Scottish football's great enthusiasts.A steep learning curve in his early days at Cambuslang paved the way to a blistering start in the Scottish professional ranks...and a coaching career of some distinction.59 goals in 110 games. Then he was gone. But his three years at Rugby Park were the start of a relationship with the club which has lasted decades.

Jim Stewart is the local lad who lived the dream. A Kilmarnock fan as a boy, he emulated hero Bobby Ferguson by becoming the club's first choice goalkeeper.In this episode of the Killie Histories 'Big Match' series, we hear about Jim's pride at his call up to the World Cup Squad of 1974, his 1977 debut, as well as some memorable moments at club level, including promotion success and some iconic victories. Jim also reflects on his highly successful twenty-year coaching career as well as his hopes for the future of Kilmarnock Football Club.

The smart ones knew not to mess with Jimmy Cook.Despite standing at a mere five feet four inches, Kilmarnock FC's speedy, combative winger proved a match for many of Scotland's top defenders.A fans' favourite of over 200 games, Jimmy regards one match with special fondness: the 1972 Scottish Cup semi final at Hampden Park against Celtic.Passion and enthusiasm...and that's just in the interview!

Kilmarnock FC Historian John Livingston puts it best: "Tommy McLean was the star of the greatest ever game played at Rugby Park."A winger blessed with high-precision accuracy in his delivery, the Killie number 7 is one of the all-time Kilmarnock greats. Tommy talks about his involvement in the greatest comeback in Scottish football history: Kilmarnock's 1964 recovery from 4-0 down against European legends, Eintracht Frankfurt.

Only one player in Kilmarnock FC's 150-year history has been the top scorer for the league champions...Ronnie Hamilton.Still the club's youngest-ever player, Ronnie talks about the special night in 1964 when Killie were five goals ahead against Celtic. The 5-2 victory set a marker for the Ayrshire men, on route to the club's sole league title.As player, European goalscorer, title-winner, coach, board member, Chairman, Hall of Fame inductee and supporter, Ronnie Hamilton's service to Kilmarnock can be counted in decades.

From catching balls on Cannon Hill in Ardrossan to keeping out Pele, Bobby Ferguson's career scaled the heights.In the final episode of Series 1 of 'The Big Match', Kilmarnock's league-winning goalkeeper reflects on an era when the club went toe-to-toe with Europe's best.Bobby's Big Match is the famous last-day decider in April 1965. Needing to beat league leaders Hearts by two goals on their own patch in Edinburgh, Killie led 2-0 when a late, late chance fell for the hosts...Bobby talks about the special moments as Scotland's number one, being a student of his art...and mixing with football and showbiz royalty in a 13-year West Ham United career.A Kilmarnock FC legend.

A stylish left back. A scorer of vital goals. A Kilmarnock cult hero.Tom Black revisits the 1993/94 Scottish Premier Division season, and one game in particular: the last game at the old Rugby Park.Multi-million pound redevelopment was about to begin, but would the club open the new stadium in the top division...or was it going to be relegation after only one season back with the elite? With two games left, difficult opponents in Rangers and Hibs lay in wait.

Kilmarnock FC 'Hall of Fame' inductee Paul Clarke looks back at a shock Scottish Cup victory in 1978, before reflecting on his 11-year career at Scotland's oldest professional football club.A true 'one-club player', Paul speaks about his roles with the club as a captain, coach and, these days, the Former Players' Association. This episode is much more than the story of one match; it is an insight into a unique era of the club.

Kilmarnock Football Club's captain for the 1997 Scottish Cup final assesses factors key to the team's success.Victory was particularly special for the Ayrshire native, leading his local team to their third Scottish Cup win.