Kilmarnock were given a bloody nose last weekend after a last-gasp equaliser from Motherwell at Rugby Park.
Callum Slattery’s stunning free kick secured a point for Stuart Kettlewell’s side in what was a closely contested match in the Ayrshire sunshine.
It was a grim finish to the afternoon for the Rugby Park men, who looked good to hold out for all three points in what would’ve been a huge boost to their survival hopes.
It wasn’t the only bloody nose suffered, though. Christian Doidge broke his moments before half-time in the 1-1 stalemate.
After an awkward collision with one of the ‘Well defenders, the Welshman was left covered in blood, as Killie’s medical team popped it back into place.
The striker, 30, on loan from Hibs came back on for the second half and fought until the end of the game for his team. He insists he will play through the pain barrier to help Killie get through their relegation battle.
“The nose wasn’t too sore as there was plenty of adrenaline,” Doidge explained. “Motherwell scoring in the last minute was harder to take. That really sucked and it felt like a defeat.
“I’m not sure who caused it but it was my fault. I headed the back of someone’s head and I could hear it click straight away.
“Liam Kelly then just looked at me and shook his head. I’ve had a few knocks on it before but not that bad. It doesn’t feel too bad know although I wouldn’t want another knock on it.”
The striker revealed he will need to play with a mask on today as Killie make the short trip up the M77 to Ibrox to take on Rangers.
Doidge doesn’t foresee any issues with wearing the protective measure, as he pointed to Callum McGregor as an example of a player contending with a similar situation. He added: “He wore that for months and didn’t seem to have any problems. He played every week with it so I’m sure I will be fine. I’m just waiting on a mask arriving as the club have ordered one.”
Doidge has enjoyed a mix bag of results when facing Rangers in his experience at Hibs. He’s been on the end of some drubbings, but also been involved in some euphoric highs after winning.
He’s hoping that today can be another positive moment against those in a Light Blues jersey.
He said: “I was involved when we beat them in the semi-final and Martin Boyle scored a hat-trick. That was amazing.
“We drew with them a few times at Easter Road, but I’ve never managed to get anything at Ibrox.
“I don’t think they will be affected by last weekend. They are still a great team with great players.
“They have been good since the new manager came in so it will be hard. We just have to try and come up with a game plan to stop them. They have a similar set-up to Gerrard’s teams so it will be difficult.”
Doidge has gone on big scoring runs before. He scored seven goals in five games back in November 2019 for Hibs which saw him crowned November player of the month.
The attacker is hoping for a similar vein of form to help Killie secured their top flight place for next season.
He added: "It wasn’t long after I joined Hibs. I hadn’t scored for a little while, then I went on this crazy run of goals and ended up winning player of the month.
"It’s just one of those things when you get some confidence and go on a run. It’s happened previously in my career at other clubs as well. Hopefully I can catch fire here as well.
"I’ve just got to make sure I’m always working hard for the team and try to be a nuisance for defenders.
"It’s part and parcel of being a striker – you always have that added pressure of trying to score goals and help the team win.
"We’re lucky that we’ve had Danny hitting some great form this season and he’s managed to pull us out of trouble a few times.
"Hopefully one of the other forward players can catch fire towards the end of the season and start chipping in with a few more goals."
