Innes keeps hopes of catching Hearts alive

KILMARNOCK star Chris Innes scored the winning goal against Dundee then immediately turned his sights to gunning down Hearts this weekend.

The Rugby Park side are the only team that can catch Craig Levein’s men in the race for third place, but know they must win when the sides meet to stand any chance of making it to the UEFA Cup.

Hearts lie seven points ahead of Killie, but Innes firmly believes that if his side can get the upper hand in the match then they will pile the pressure on the Jambos and make real progress in the race for Europe.

Innes smacked home a 25-yard strike with 15 minutes remaining against Jim Duffy’s men to send the Dark Blues crashing to their first defeat since January’s winter break to set up a crunch game with the Edinburgh side.

He said: "This was a very important result for us because we have to keep the pressure on Hearts in third place. They are still firmly in the driving seat, but it makes sure that we have something to play for when we face them this weekend. We just have to hope they slip up, but we have to win against them if we are to have any chance of making it to Europe. It’s now a massive game for us."

It could have been so different had striker Mark Burchill not squandered Dundee’s best chance as early as the fourth minute.

The former Celtic player pounced on Jonay Hernandez’s scuffed shot from 20 yards inside the area. The Killie defence claimed offside, and were relieved to see Burchill scoop the ball high and wide.

Neither side could get a grip of the match in the opening stages and possession was frequently surrendered.

Dundee’s Nacho Novo used his pace to unsettle Killie and almost scored when he beat two defenders but was thwarted by Killie keeper Gordon Marshall.

Killie claimed for a penalty mid-way through the second half when Gary McSwegan appeared to be impeded inside the area by Lee Mair, but the referee waved play on.

Taken from the Scotsman