Derek McInnes was pleased as Kilmarnock continued their excellent form by defeating Cove Rangers to reach the quarter-finals of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup.
After surviving an early scare, the hosts broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time when Marley Watkins netted for the second time in as many matches.
The second half was much more positive for Killie, and they would eventually put the game beyond doubt when Danny Armstrong came off the bench to fire home and seal a 2-0 win with 10 minutes left.
McInnes’ side have lost just once in their last 12 matches – a run that has seen them rise to fourth in the cinch Premiership table.
“It was a tie we had to overcome and there are plenty of positives, getting boys minutes, the clean sheet and getting into the next round was clearly the most important thing,” he said.
“We get the all important goal just before half-time, the team talk was still the same but in terms of the outcome, I think it knocks the stuffing out of Cove.
“We had better control in the second half, we kept them from our box a lot more, though it still wasn’t without its challenges.”
Kyle Vassell thought he had grabbed a third in added-time when he lifted the
ball over Suman but the referee deemed that the goalkeeper had recovered to scoop the ball off the line.
McInnes claimed: “I think (Kyle) Vassell’s goal is in, their keeper has admitted it.
“We could maybe have had added to the scoreline but I think any additions would have been harsh on Cove as I thought they were good value in the game.”
McInnes feels his squad is in a good place as Kilmarnock continue to impress in both the league and the Scottish Cup.
The Killie boss made six changes from the side that defeated Livingston in midweek, including handing a first start to Kevin van Veen.
There were signs of lethargy in their first half display, though they were much improved after the breaking the deadlock just before the interval.
“There were one or two changes who deserved opportunity through their training,” he added.
“We move on to Celtic now, that’s one defeat in 12, we’re going along nicely.
“We need a few more wins to get top six and the next time the cup comes round, I hope we go into it on the back of some good league form.”
Paul Hartley has urged his Cove players to push on and claim a League One play-off place as they head into the business end of the season.
The Toonsers were more than a match for their Premiership opponents in the first half and should have taken an early lead when Rumarn Burrell had an effort cleared off the line.
Hartley’s side currently occupy third spot in League One, however, only two points separates them and fifth-placed Alloa.
“We’ve got to dust ourselves down and get on with the league business, our challenge is to get into the play-offs with 13 games remaining,” he said.
“It’s the business end of the season and we want to get into the play-offs, it’s a tight league and it’s tight for a top-four spot.
“We’ve showed what we can do against a quality team that are the fourth best team in Scotland at this moment in time.”
Van Nistelrooy wishes Man Utd success under Amorim
Ruud van Nistelrooy says Manchester United deserve to be successful under new head coach Ruben Amorim, having left the club after the Portuguese's arrival this week.
Amorim officially left Sporting CP for United on Monday, with Van Nistelrooy having overseen four matches as interim coach after Erik ten Hag was sacked last month.
United won three and drew one of those matches, beating Leicester City twice and overcoming PAOK in the Europa League while drawing 1-1 with Chelsea in the Premier League.
At 39 years old, new boss Amorim will become the youngest man to lead United since a 33-year-old Wilf McGuinness took charge of them on Boxing Day 1970 against Derby County.
Van Nistelrooy, who had initially hoped to stay on in a backroom role under Amorim but departed earlier this week, is backing the Red Devils to be successful.
In a farewell post on Instagram, the former striker wrote: "To everyone at Manchester United football club, in particular the backroom staff, the players and the fans.
"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible efforts and support. It has been a privilege and honour to represent the club as a player, coach and manager, and I will always cherish the memories we have shared together.
"M.U.F.C will always have a special place in my heart, and I hope there are many more glory days at Old Trafford very soon - not only because I want the club to do well, but because you all deserve it!"
Amorim's first assignment as United boss will be a Premier League trip to Ipswich Town next week, before Bodo/Glimt visit Old Trafford in the Europa League on November 28.
Between his March 2020 appointment and his departure this month, Sporting won 77% of their Primeira Liga matches, the best win ratio in Europe's top 10 leagues in that span.
Indonesia 0-4 Japan: Visitors stay unbeaten with rout
Japan continued their unbeaten start to World Cup qualifying with a 4-0 victory over Indonesia on Friday.
Two goals from the visitors in either half were enough to seal the three points and get them back to winning ways after a stalemate with Australia last time out.
Ragnar Oratmangoen should have put Indonesia ahead, but he hesitated one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and Japan did not look back after that. They got a bit of fortune with their first goal, Justin Hubner deflecting a cross into his own net in the 35th minute.
Takumi Minamino got their second just before the break, finishing off a pacy counter-attack by darting onto the end of Kaoru Mitoma’s cross to sweep it past Maarten Paes.
While there was not much the goalkeeper could do with that one, he was at fault for the third as he gifted the ball to Hidemasa Morita, who coolly picked out the bottom corner just after the break.
Yukinari Sugawara came off the bench to round off the scoring in the 69th minute. He raced down the right wing and instead of looking to his options, he rifled it in from a tight angle at the near post.
Japan are up to 13 points after five games, sitting top of Group C, while Indonesia are bottom, still in search of their first win.
Data Debrief: Clinically done
For a team still chasing their first win, Japan are probably not high on the list of opponents they would want to face, and Indonesia were undone by their visitors.
Hajime Moriyasu's side created 0.79 expected goals (xG) to Indonesia's 0.72, while they only had four more shots than their hosts (12 compared to eight).
Japan took their chances, and though the win margin may look harsh, they were deserving of the three points, having dominated throughout the game.
McTominay has no regrets over Man Utd exit
Scott McTominay says he has no regrets about leaving Manchester United to join Napoli after a lightning-quick start to life in Italy.
He has scored three goals in 10 appearances for the Italian club in all competitions, netting twice in Serie A to help them sit top of the table after 12 games.
Only Romelu Lukaku has scored more league goals for Napoli than him this season, while McTominay has also had the second-most big chances (four) among his team-mates, scoring two of them.
Before his transfer deadline day move, McTominay had spent 22 years at United, joining their academy aged five before making his debut in May 2017.
The Scotland international made 255 appearances for the senior team, scoring 29 goals, including 10 during his most prolific season in 2023-24, and providing eight assists.
While McTominay admitted leaving his boyhood club was not an easy choice, he is pleased with the outcome of the choice.
"Obviously, it's a big decision, there's no denying that. It was a huge decision for me and my family and my friends," he told The Times.
"At times like that in your life, you just have to say, 'Do I want to do it? Absolutely,' and go for it. There's no looking back. I've never had any regrets in my life, or my career and I continue that way to this day.
"I want my career to be successful, and I'm going to go out of my way to try and push myself to be the best football player and best person that I can possibly be."
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