Killie Histories

Billy Stark’s pre-Kilmarnock career saw him win multiple major trophies in Scotland before he joined Celtic - testament to the quality of the game in general and of the midfielder specifically. So when, in 1990, Billy agreed to be part of the Jim Fleeting revolution at the club with big plans for the future, much was expected. Yet it did not work out as planned. A serious of injuries restricted his involvement and effectiveness. The real Billy Stark story begins on his return to the club, having spent a year coaching with Hamilton. As Tommy Burns’ assistant manager, the push for promotion began…

A huge fans’ favourite of the mid-1970s, local boy Iain McCulloch did the hard graft to make it in the game. From an early narrow escape, signing a contract with a club he couldn’t travel to play for, through years working as a heating engineer, the midfielder’s father played a crucial role in guiding him. For Iain, being the best he could be was the focus. His pride at signing for Kilmarnock is clear, as is his fondness for the support who crowned him Player of the Year. www.killiehistories.com/iainmcculloch

Synonymous with the club across several decades in numerous roles, Jimmy Clark is perhaps best known as the trusted first-team coach when Kilmarnock lifted the Scottish Cup in 1997. A tactician with a focus on the defensive side of the game, it was his set piece plotting which set the platform for Paul Wright’s winner on that sunny day in May. Jimmy's story is much, much more than those five years with Bobby Williamson and Gerry McCabe. A supporter since the 1950s, he fulfilled a dream when he became a key part of the early 1980s Killie midfield. Later in the decade he returned as a coach, only to find himself restored to the starting 11!   www.killiehistories.com/jimmyclark

Kevin McGowne chose just the right time to join his local team. When St Johnstone made the central defender available for transfer in 1996, Alex Totten swooped. A lot was packed into his six years: two cup finals, a 1997 winner’s medal, and numerous European campaigns. Good in the air and on the deck, his sterling performances alongside Ray Montgomerie made all the difference in the late 1990s as the club went from strength to strength. But it could have been very different, with time spent away from the game as a young player, followed by a move from striker to right back and, eventually, to the centre of defence.

Kenny Shiels will forever be associated with one of the most special of moments in Kilmarnock Football Club’s history: in 2012, he led the club to its fifth and still most recent trophy. The League Cup success should not have come as a surprise considering the manager’s track record of surprising the favourites on several occasions in his career in Northern Ireland. It was an inauspicious start to life in Ayrshire. Coming into the club as Mixu Paatelainen’s assistant, surgery determined that he would set up his first training session on crutches. Things improved quickly though, and 2010/11 became memorable for a revolution in playing squad and footballing philosophy. And when Mixu left for the Finland national team job, Killie had a ready-made replacement with more than ten years of managerial experience. And the next chapter began; one which would lead, in 2022, to his induction into the club’s Hall of Fame.

Dundee United’s loss was certainly Killie’s gain. After an incredibly difficult year with ‘The Tangerines’, both parties decided to cut their losses and part ways. Promotion-seeking Kilmarnock - at that stage a part-time club - moved fast to secure the tall striker with an impressive one-in-two league strike rate. John Bourke quickly became a fans’ favourite: ‘The King of Rugby Park’, no less. His presence and outball produced 21 league goals as promotion back to the top flight was achieved in 1979. Here, John discusses his immense pride at representing Killie, his style of play, the players who brought the best out of him, and his profound regret at deciding not to continue his time with club.

After an underwhelming loan spell in 2015, few Kilmarnock fans would have anticipated the next chapter in Stuart Findlay’s story. Two years later, his “stubborn” nature led the defender to give Ayrshire a second shot. And it proved a wise decision. In the following four seasons, Stuart was at the heart of some of the most memorable moments in the club’s modern history. And his relationship with the club did not end with a life-changing move to the USA.   www.killiehistories.com/stuartfindlay

From early career doubts, and disenchantment as a struggling left back, Mark ‘Mavis’ Reilly reflects on the journey to midfield linchpin of a Kilmarnock team who enjoyed a decade of 1990s success. As was the case for many of his teammates, the inspirational words of Tommy Burns set him on the right path. On the 25th anniversary of Kilmarnock FC's third Scottish Cup triumph, the players' player gives an insight into the win, and the dedication required to make it to the top of the professional game. 

Lifting a trophy for the club you support is surely the ultimate ambition of every player. For Garry Hay, that long-held dream became a reality for Kilmarnock in 2012, starring in the club’s - as yet - only Scottish League Cup success. Patience and pragmatism were as much part of the left back’s emergence as his wicked deliveries from out wide. Watching fellow youth team players Alex Burke and David Bagan’s promotion to the first team in 1997 - and himself being a part of the iconic Scottish Cup celebrations of that season - only strengthened his resolve to one day be in their position. That it was another 15 years until he achieved the goal says everything about his ability, loyalty, and determination. From a thrilling home debut in 1999, through three cup final appearances, to eventual Hall of Fame induction, Garry Hay’s time with Killie sees him sit in 15th place in the club’s all-time appearance list alongside some of the players he dreamed of emulating.

Stuart Layburn played just seven times for Kilmarnock yet his story spans some of the club’s greatest moments. From a family of Killie supporters, he followed the team home and away from a young age before becoming a reserve team player in the early 1960s. To be a part-time player in that era was both a blessing and a curse. Stuart was part of a squad which made a serious challenge for honours in the first half of the decade. Yet he knew that any opportunities in the first team would only ever be fleeting at best: his full-time rivals for his defensive position, Andy King and Matt Watson, were among the best in the country. His time with his club was eventful though, encompassing a Reserve Cup triumph, an incredible 9-2 win, a Scottish Cup semi-final appearance and a place in the squad that travelled to Tynecastle on the famous, title-winning day in April 1965. A dedicated full back who was “happy just being the reserve” in a golden age for the club.   www.killiehistories.com/stuartlayburn