Kilmarnock players that net five times in 18 minutes to produce stunning comeback agaisnt ..
In eighteen minutes, from hopeless to utopia. Kilmarnock overcame St Mirren 5-2 at Rugby Park, pulling off an almost unbelievable comeback from a 2-0 hole.
Charles Dunne and Mikael Mandron both scored from first-half corners, but Killie had put on a dismal effort and were behind at the interval due to defensive hesitancy. There was little indication of the drama that was about to happen.
Just after the hour, Kyle Vassell’s close-range bunt of the ball over the line set off an amazing chain of events that led to the fightback. Four minutes later, Danny Armstrong equalized from the penalty spot, and Marley Watkins’ outstanding header brought the score back to full.
Vassell sprinted through to score a fourth, and there was still more to come. David Watson walked across the pitch and curled the ball into the bottom corner for the number five.
Manager Derek McInnes made two changes to the team that lost in the Scottish Cup to Aberdeen last weekend: Robbie Deas and Matty Kennedy replaced Corrie Nbada and Lewis Mayo, who was suspended. Matty Kennedy had recovered from a knee injury quicker than anticipated.
The hectic beginning substitutions were probably expected given the high stakes, but neither team was able to dominate play or generate anything in front of goal. But when Mandron got his head on a Caolan Boyd-Munce delivery into the box, he ought to have performed far better. The striker attempted to nudge his team into a lead in the twelfth minute, but his attempt was only mildly wide.
The 2,500 traveling supporters, however, did not have to wait long to celebrate an early goal; on the 20th minute, Saints scored their first goal in three seasons when Dunne properly thundered the ball home from 10 yards out after Killie failed to clear their lines from a corner kick.
Both entering the game and maintaining possession of the ball for any significant amount of time proved difficult for the hosts. At the half-hour mark, Boyd-Munce’s attempt to recover the ball after Liam Donnelly lost it almost punished them for their carelessness.
Killie striker Watkins appeared to have given them a spark to get things going again with a fantastic header, but Zach Hemmings made an equally outstanding diving save to snuff out the Welshman’s effort.
Killie shot themselves in the foot just as they were beginning to show some life when Mandron converted Greg Kiltie’s corner from close range. The striker had slipped past Joe Wright to double Saints’ lead and establish them as the clear winners.
Following the break, Killie puffed and fummed but were thwarted each time they tried to mount a serious attack. Robbie Deas fired a quick strike from 20 yards out to try his luck.
And after that, well, total insanity happened. Killie rallied from a two-goal deficit and subpar play to score five goals in the final eighteen minutes, potentially saving their season.
Vassell’s close-range goal on the second try, following Liam Donnelly’s header towards goal, marked the beginning of the comeback, which finished less than 20 minutes later with the hosts leading by three goals and moving up to fourth position.
After Watkins’ ingenious run saw him clipped by Ryan Flynn inside the area, Armstrong calmly slotted home from the spot to bring the teams level four minutes later. Three minutes later, the Welshman transformed from provider to finisher with a deft looping header that sent Rugby Park into utter
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