Kilmarnock’s Kennedy eyes unlikely outing

KILMARNOCK midfielder Matthew Kennedy hopes to give his family a day out to remember as he bids for an unlikely cup final place.

The 17-year-old made his second start for Kilmarnock during last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Inverness and is pushing for a place in the squad for the Scottish Communities League Cup final against Celtic at Hampden. “I’ve never been to a cup final so even just being there will be a great experience,” the teenager said. “The last time I went to Hampden was watching Scotland and Spain, which was unbelievable. If I’m on the bench or get involved it would be great for me and my family. My family are coming. I’m from Ayr and my family are more Ayr United fans, but they will put that behind them.

“For the semi-final, my mum was on the Ayr United bus with a Killie top on with Kennedy on the back and said she was getting pelters.”

The wide midfielder still cleans the boots of James Dayton, effectively one of his rivals for a place, but he has been training with the first-team squad all season. Kennedy said: “I have come on a lot since the start of the season. I was lucky to be away in pre-season with the first team in Ireland. I’ve done well since and got myself involved a lot more.”

Manager Kenny Shiels has been keen to develop the young players at the club since arriving with Mixu Paatelainen in 2010 and Kennedy appreciates the all-encompassing approach. “At the start when the manager came in with Mixu I was just coming in one day a week but now I train with them every day,” he said. “He is bringing other youth boys in to train every day and he always watches the under-19s. When he came in the 19s were punting the ball up the park but him and Mixu got us to play on the deck. I like playing that kind of football.”