Ayr boss Lee Bullen admits he was shocked by his side's sluggish start which cost them a derby defeat.
United were three down inside 16 horror minutes before sub Markus Fjortoft was sent off after half an hour.
That all combined to leave no way back for Bullen's men who, despite a gallant second half effort, ended well beaten on home soil.
And the head coach insists he was left scratching his head at his side being caught on their heels so badly.
He said: "We started really, really poorly.
"We talked all week about wanting to start the game in the right manner - as we proved we could do at Raith.
"But it surprised me how poor we were in that first 15 minutes.
"And when we got the man sent off it was damage limitation. But the boys stuck at it and the goal gave us a bit of a lift.
"We made a lot of changes to try and get back in the game but it was always going to be a mountain to climb."
Rory McKenzie, Oli Shaw and Jack Sanders had Killie out of sight with barely a quarter of the game gone.
And when Fjortoft was ordered off just 10 minutes after coming on the park, it looked like Ayr could face a long night.
But their better effort after the break helped limit the damage and Bullen insists he will look to rectify a poor run at home which has seen just one win in five at Somerset.
He said: "Our home form has been disappointing and after last week's result, to start the game in that way was so disappointing.
"Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say your opponent started the game on fire - but you have to be equal to that.
"We have to be better and more aggressive - that's not difficult to change and we will."
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