Derek McInnes wants Kilmarnock to establish themselves as a force in cup competitions as they target a return to Hampden.
Hearts provide tough opponents at Rugby Park tonight in the League Cup quarter-final but Killie will be full of confidence after claiming the scalps of Rangers and Celtic at home already this season.
McInnes’ side inflicted the first defeat of Brendan Rodgers’ second tenure at Celtic when Killie shocked the holders and sent them crashing out in the last round. It also represented revenge for the Ayrshire side after Celtic ended Kilmarnock’s dream in last season’s semi-final on their way to winning the competition.
It’s unrealistic to expect any side to end the Old Firm’s 40-year title duopoly given financial disparities, but McInnes believes Kilmarnock should be targeting cup success.
“I’ve always enjoyed the cups and I’ve always taken pride in trying to progress as far as possible,” McInnes said. We are trying to do that at Kilmarnock and last year we were almost the first team to get to two semi-finals in the history of the club.
“We weren’t good enough on the night against Inverness [in the Scottish Cup quarter-final] but we gave ourselves a chance. We will always place demands throughout the league campaign, but we must be a good cup team.
“We beat some good teams to reach Hampden last season but Celtic were waiting for us. We’ve already knocked them out and we are only ninety minutes away from another visit. We are delighted to be at home as we are strong but we’ve got to overcome an opponent, who will view it as the same opportunity.
“All eight teams will believe they can win the cup. We’ve got to see the bigger picture and visualise that we can win it. Some teams have more difficult ties than others but all Premiership teams will dream of lifting the trophy.
“If you want to win a domestic cup in Scotland then you have to beat more than one good team and we’ll need to do that against Hearts. It’s important that we sniff that opportunity and while we’re at Kilmarnock, let’s try to do something that we are remembered for.
“I want my players and club to expect to reach Hampden regularly. It shouldn’t be a surprise that we are here and my players need to deal with being in the quarter-final.”
Kilmarnock are winless in four games since the 1-0 win over Celtic and McInnes has reiterated the importance of returning to the defensive robustness that underpinned that win.
They will face a prosaic Hearts with Steven Naismith under increasing pressure but McInnes won’t be underestimating the Tynecastle side.
“Boyce and Shankland both have really quality and that can be the difference maker,” he added. “We have to be aware of that but they’ve accumulated more than a decent squad. They finished fourth last season and that suggests their capabilities.
“We’ve got to be aware of their strengths but we have to focus more on us. We need to improve in both boxes and we can’t be put out of a cup by the little details.
“We’ve had a couple of draws lately and while there’s nothing bad about being unbeaten, we are frustrated because those draws could’ve been wins
“Hearts will bring a good travelling support which always adds to the atmosphere. Our fans will get behind us and last season was the perfect example. We need to draw on every strength that we have. Hearts have huge advantages over us in terms of their resources but we are at home.”
Meanwhile, Matty Kennedy endured a bittersweet feeling when Kilmarnock last won the League Cup but he’s firmly set his sights on repeating that achievement this season.
An 18-year-old Kennedy was beginning his career at Rugby Park when Kenny Shiels’ side shocked Celtic in the final 11 years ago. The talented winger had already established himself in Kilmarnock’s first-team but Shiels left him out of the matchday squad for the Hampden showdown.
Belgian cult hero Dieter Van Tornhourt netted the winning goal and Kennedy joined the celebrations in Ayrshire before departing for Everton. Kennedy, now 28, returned to his boyhood club this and he’s targeting a return to Hampden with a win in tonight’s quarter-final against Hearts.
“I started the game before in the league at Inverness and I was in the shape in the build-up to the final, in and out, I wasn’t sure if I would be playing,” Kennedy said.
“Kenny Shiels pulled me before the match day before he named the team and said I wasn’t going to be involved in the team. I thought I would be on the bench and then I wasn’t.
“As a young boy, I was gutted but it was a good experience for me. I was young and to be around the squad when we won it… I was in the stand and then on the bus afterwards. It makes me hungry to be involved more if we do win silverware.
“I would like to try and make that right for me personally, to be involved with a winning trophy for Kilmarnock.
“It does make you hungry, being so close myself. I know I was involved to some degree but I wasn’t on the pitch or on the bench that day so hopefully I can do it one day. Growing up at the club since seven years old, it’s only Rory (McKenzie) here who’s still playing. We were in the same age group.
“For me and for Rory as well, if we were to achieve something like that with the club it would be brilliant. Friends and family are all from here, they used to take me to training, so if I was to win silverware I would love to do it at Kilmarnock.”
