Kilmarnock strengthened their lead at the top of the Championship with a win over Partick Thistle.
It was a hard-fought yet merited win over the Jags who made it a worrying end to the match for the home fans after scoring a late goal.
And once again the hero was striker Kyle Lafferty, with a goal in each half setting up the win for the Rugby Park side.
The result combined with Arbroath’s 3-3 draw at home to Raith means Killie are now four points clear at the top of the cinch Championship.
And Killie boss Derek McInnes said: “You always remember how games end and I was disappointed that we allowed Thistle to put the ball into our box and disappointed that we didn’t deal with the corner kick.
“So it wasn’t a perfect afternoon, although I don’t remember Zach having to make a save before then. There wasn’t much in the game but Kyle scored with a fantastic free-kick and then screwed another chance just wide.
“Lafferty’s touch and lift over the ‘keeper for his second goal was outstanding and when you have that at the top end of the pitch and you have an honesty and a work ethic behind it then you’re in with a chance.
“I’m just sorry we didn’t get the clean sheet because I believe that clean sheets win titles and we placed that demand on the team. We need to take responsibility for that because, on another day, it could have cost us.
“Fortunately, it didn’t this time. I thought we were looking good at 2-0 and we made changes to add some freshness. The game should’ve been more straightforward at the end but we were up against a team with bags of spirit.
“They were never going to give it up and you have to give them credit for that.”
McInnes opted for the same starting XI that had beaten Queen of the South a week earlier, but it was the visitors who had the brighter start with Juan Alegria Arango coming close within the first minute with a driving run and shot that wasn’t far wide.
Killie were a bit out of sorts in the opening period, and things looked ominous when Lafferty required lengthy treatment for a back injury in the 16th minute.
Thankfully he recovered, and minutes later he was hauled down by Olatunji Akinola as be ran onto a Zach Hemming kick out.
Lafferty showed composure and no little skill when he placed the ball into the top corner from 22 yards to open the scoring.
He could have doubled his account a few minutes later, but he couldn’t steer an Oli Shaw pass on target.
Three minutes before the break Arango missed a decent opportunity to equalise when he headed a corner from the left wide of Hemming’s goal.
Within 20 seconds of the restart, Lafferty netted his second when he latched on to a clever Rory McKenzie pass and slammed the ball into the visitors’ net.
That goal knocked the stuffing out of Thistle and gave the home side confidence, and Fraser Murray, McKenzie and Lafferty all had opportunities to stretch Killie’s lead.
Ash Taylor came closest on 58 minutes when his header from a Murray free kick hit the top of the crossbar and rebounded to safety, but Killie just couldn’t get the third goal that would have killed off the opposition.
It was inevitable that the Jags would throw men forward as the game entered its final period, and in the 86th minute they got the lifeline they were seeking when Ross Docherty glided in a header from a corner.
That set up a frantic finale and some worrying moments for the home support as Thistle went in search of the equaliser, but Killie deservedly held out to secure all three points.
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