McCann relishing pressure of new derby experience

Kilmarnock boss Neil McCann is looking forward to Friday's meeting with local rivals Ayr United in the Premier Sports Cup after experiencing the big derbies in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee as a player.

Reflecting on his experiences with Rangers, Hearts and Dundee, McCann said: "If you connect with the club that you're with, you feel the pain when it doesn't go well. I've experienced both. The highs are very high, the lows are very low.

"I want the players to feel what we're getting from the Kilmarnock fans going into this game.

"I was at a game on Tuesday and I was getting fans stopping me saying they didn't care if we didn't win another game 'just beat them'...

"I tend to remove myself from that isolation, I've got to look at the bigger picture. But I get it. I completely get it. The boys get it as well."

McCann has a few boyhood Kilmarnock fans in his squad, including Greg Kiltie and Rory McKenzie.

"It's really nice to have one or two in the dressing room that have that connection by coming through at a young age," said McCann, who will go head-to-head with former Hearts and Scotland team-mate Gary Naysmith at Rugby Park.

"We know what it means to the fans but it means the same to us. My job, and all the staff's job, is to make sure that they remember that.

"Every derby, I respect what it means to both sets of fans," said the 52-year-old, who also played for Southampton against Portsmouth in the Premier League.

"Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh, South Coast. It's just the same. It's the same passion, it's the same elation, it's the same pain you're going to feel, depending on what side of the result you're on.

"My job is to prepare us, give us a tactical plan that I believe is good enough to beat Ayr United. Then they've got to reach inside and do the job and perform.

"If we perform like I know we can perform, we'll win the game. It's as simple as that. If we don't, we won't win the game. That's sport, and that's the level we're operating in now. Lots of teams within the Championship are showing they're good sides."