Neil McCann impressed by Kilmarnock’s ability to mix up their style of play

Kilmarnock boss Neil McCann reckons consecutive wins over the teams at the top and bottom of the William Hill Premiership proves his side can mix up their style of play.

Killie opened up a 12-point gap on opponents Livingston with a commanding 2-0 win over the top-flight’s basement boys – having disposed of leaders Hearts last weekend.

Goals from Joe Hugill and Findlay Curtis proved the difference in Ayrshire, with McCann saying: “The performance in the win against Hearts last week was exceptional considering we were against the league leaders who have been free-scoring.

“The big task was following it up against a very well-organised team. I thought we won this game in a different manner than we did against Hearts.

“I thought we were excellent, we were good on the ball and our two goals were exceptional, but sometimes you’ve just got to group together and make sure you win the game regardless.”

He added: “They’re brave enough to accept that challenge and try and play in a certain way.

“We weren’t at our absolute best with the ball but it’s about making sure you get the win. Another clean sheet, which is so positive for the group. Defensively, goalkeeper to the front, I thought we worked so hard.

“They are digging in, they are playing as a unit, playing as a team and they can enjoy their break as they’ve deserved it.”

Livingston counterpart Marvin Bartley admitted his side looked nervous, and said: “I tried to address that with the players.

“These are the things you have to thrive under, they are professional footballers.

“These are the situations you want to be in. You want to be in the games where everyone’s looking at you and you can make a big shift in terms of your season. You can’t hide away from these things.”

Despite acknowledging the difficulty of the task at hand in terms of avoiding the drop, Bartley refused to throw in the towel, adding: “We understand the situation we’re currently in. I said to the players ‘you have to show some pride now’.

“There’s a lot of emotion flying high. Words are not going to help improve the players in terms of morale or how they are feeling at this moment in time.

“It was a massive task when I came in but it’s even bigger now.”