JEFFERIES UNDER THE COSH AS INJURY AND ILLNESS WREAKS HAVOC WITH SQUAD

KILMARNOCK manager Jim Jefferies has revealed he is without nine top-team players for the visit of Hearts - and fears there could be more call-offs.

The Rugby Park squad has been ravaged by injury and illness and were stretched to the limit for their Boxing Day trip to Pittodrie but now even more have been ruled out.

Frazer Wright, Paul Di Giacomo and long-term injury victims David Fernandez and Ryan O'Leary are absent while a flu bug has claimed Colin Nish, Alan Combe and Gary Locke.

David Lilley, who returned after three months out at Aberdeen, will be sidelined for another five weeks and Iain Campbell has an ankle knock.

Despite being down to the bare bones Jefferies won't seek for a postponement. He said: "You have to have three-quarters of your players out to get it called off. I have 15 or 16 young boys who are nowhere near the first team but they're classed as part of the squad.

"So if I lost more I'd have to play them because they're registered players but they're only kids.

"Locke and Combe didn't turn up for training. They were in on Thursday but couldn't get their heads off the pillow. That's my worry, they were bouncing about at training so there's a situation where people who feel all right now could be struggling on Saturday.

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can get a nucleus of first-team guys available but the bench will be full of young kids.

"Colin shouldn't have played at Aberdeen. With Frazer being out and Garry Hay suspended I had to play Simon Ford and David, who hadn't even played a reserve game. He wasn't match fit but we didn't have anyone else to come in. Now he'll be out for four to five weeks after tearing a muscle.

"We'd already lost Paul, who had come back into the team but he's fractured his cheekbone and is getting it set today. Iain is also on the list as he went over on his ankle in training on Wednesday.

"Ryan has also just had a shoulder operation. It's not the best when you've got a small squad and don't have strength in depth. But we'll muster 11 first-team players."

Peter Leven is back after missing the last two games but Steven Naismith and James Fowler have both been under the weather although Jefferies is confident they'll play.

Wright's absence has allowed Ford back into the team after being out since April with a cruciate injury. In fact, after breaking down in training the defender wondered whether he would ever come back.

He said: "It's great to be playing again. I probably couldn't have picked a harder time to come back into the team but I'm just happy to be involved.

"It was hard being out as I've never been injured for that length of time before.

"Having three operations over the summer was hard to take, it seemed as though I was on crutches forever.

"It was not too bad when we weren't playing football but once they were back and were out training and I was in the gym doing my rehab it was frustrating and I did wonder if I'd ever get back because I broke down a couple of times.

"However, it's all worked out all right and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and establishing myself in the team again."

Taken from the Daily Record