Derek McInnes has joked that if Kilmarnock played Arbroath on the golf course then three points would be heading to Ayrshire.
The Rugby Park gaffer revealed that he's well ahead of Lichties boss Dick Campbell in head-to-head battles on the course – including a win on Campbell's home turf.
But unfortunately for McInnes, the top-of-the-table battle will take place on the football pitch this Friday night, and Arbroath will take Killie all the way to the 18th hole at Gayfield.
Anything below par for the Ayrshire side could leave them four points off the top but a win will have them heading into the last 13 games as clubhouse leaders.
And the Killie boss is full of praise for the Campbells work at Arbroath, however, he'd love to ruin their fairytale on Friday.
McInnes said: "I’ve got such huge admiration for both of them. I know they’re twins but Pink does look a lot younger and that’s probably Dick being the manager you’re always going to age more.
"We play golf with them. When I wasn’t working, Tony and I took them on at golf. We’re 6-0 up in the series. If it was a golfing match on Friday we’d definitely be taking the points!
"We even beat them at their local course, Aberdour. They kept saying wait until we get you there and we dealt with them there too.
"I like spending time with them, they’re nuts on football. They’re like us. We can talk all day long about football and I like people like that, people who would rather be out watching a game. For me that investment in football is clear."
McInnes added: "I know Dick very well. Probably pre-season – he was always the first call. He’d arrange his pre-season in January.
"He’d say to make sure I brought a team down. Aberdeen were always good for bringing a support down so we always tried to take a team down to Dick.
"They’re getting a bit of exposure and recognition and rightly so. Everyone has recognised the good work that’s been done there.
But you’d have to say up till now they’re the best team in the league.
"As much as Dick wants to talk under the radar, they can’t because they are the best team in the league and we’re going into the last two or three months of the season.
"They are there on merit. It’s up to the likes of us to change that.
"They’re the best part-time team in Scotland. They have a brilliant way of working and they pay well."
Meanwhile, the Killie boss admits he breathed a sigh of relief when Monday's transfer window slammed shut as he can now focus on trying to win the Championship.
He has since brought in Declan Glass on loan from Dundee United but it ended up being a quiet day on Monday for the Ayrshire side.
He said: "It has been good this week, we have been trying to focus on the Arbroath game as well as looking at bringing players in.
"I'm quite glad the window is closed now to be honest, it can be quite an uncertain month for everyone.
"Sometimes you take a breath, it's back to focusing on training. I have been delighted with the response of the players, we have plenty of options to choose from.
"I have got good players and I hope we can demonstrate that during the rest of the season.
"It's part of the job juggling transfers and games, but on Friday I made a decision not to speak to anyone about anything other than the Inverness game and that paid off.
"But you don't want to miss out on anything, you need to be nosey and find out who's moving."
On Glass, McInnes said: "Even on Saturday I wanted us to get on the ball more, we had good moments, but I want extra players in who can give us that bit of composure and who can take the ball in tight areas.
"The thing I like about him is he takes extra responsibility to go and get the ball, sometimes he gets on it too much and loses it, but I'd still rather have that type of player.
"He wasn't one we asked about because we didn't think he was available, I phoned around on Sunday to see what was going and we got some encouragement about that one after they got a couple of players in."
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