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Kilmarnock are finally off the mark in the Premiership after producing a much-improved performance in a goalless draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie. After four consecutive league defeats and 14 goals conceded, Neil McCann’s men picked up their first point and clean sheet of the campaign – and it was the very least their efforts deserved. Killie were the better side in the opening 45 minutes and, while Aberdeen improved after the break, it was Marius Müller who was forced into the greater number of saves over the course of the afternoon. Aaron Tshibola’s late red card left the visitors facing a difficult conclusion with ten men, but they dug in to ensure they wouldn’t equal the club’s worst start to a league campaign in 31 years. Aberdeen were booed off by the home support at full-time, while the travelling Killie fans could finally head home with something tangible to show for a performance. Here’s our reaction to the main talking points… Northern Carpets & Beds are a locally run bed & carpet showroom offering very competitive prices and exceptional service to the whole of Ayrshire & beyond. We are proud to back the Chronicle and look forward to seeing fellow Killie fans soon in store or on our website! Round one ends all square If familiarity breeds contempt, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen might be sick of the sight of each other by this time next week. Today’s Premiership meeting at Pittodrie represented round one of a double-header between the sides, with Aberdeen making the return journey to Rugby Park next weekend for a place in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals. And neither manager could really afford to look beyond the first instalment. McCann arrived in the Granite City still searching for his first league point after four consecutive defeats, while Stephen Robinson has also faced criticism from sections of the Aberdeen support following three straight losses – albeit two coming against the Old Firm. Both managers are attempting to bed in a host of new signings following significant summer turnover, but patience is rarely in plentiful supply when results aren’t going your way. It was Killie who settled better and carved out the better opportunities in the opening 45 minutes. Greg Kiltie drove forward before firing narrowly wide after 13 minutes, while Tom Lowery passed up a great opportunity to open the scoring following an excellent move. Killie were increasingly finding space and getting the ball into their captain in dangerous areas, with Kiltie at the heart of much of their best work. The growing frustration around Pittodrie was noticeable as the half progressed. For all their good play, Aberdeen did come within inches of taking the lead when Tony Yogane bent a beautiful effort towards the far corner five minutes before the break. The inside of the post came to Max Stryjek’s rescue when most inside the ground thought it was heading in. Kiltie then forced Müller into action at the other end as Killie finished a promising opening 45 minutes on the front foot. Robinson responded by making three changes at the interval and Aberdeen immediately looked a different proposition. The hosts were more direct and aggressive, attempting to turn the visitors’ defence rather than playing everything in front of them, and the Pittodrie crowd began to respond. Stryjek gathered Ayoub Mouloua’s header and Aberdeen enjoyed their best spell of the afternoon, but Killie stood up to it and soon began creating opportunities of their own again. McCarthy was denied a goal by a fine Müller save after meeting a well-worked set-piece with a powerful header, before the Aberdeen goalkeeper produced another excellent stop to keep out Kiltie at the back post. Tshibola then tested Müller from a free-kick on the edge of the box, with the Dons keeper tipping his effort over the bar. At the other end, Stanger produced an outstanding block to deny Nicky Cadden as the game remained finely poised. The complexion changed with eight minutes remaining when Tshibola, already on a booking, dived into a challenge on Stuart Armstrong around 30 yards from goal and received his second yellow card. It was an unnecessary moment from an experienced player and left his teammates with a difficult final period to negotiate. Aberdeen inevitably pushed forward against the ten men, but Killie stood firm to secure a point which was the least they deserved from their afternoon’s work. Round one ends goalless. Next weekend, they do it all again – only this time at Rugby Park and with a place at Hampden on the line. A change of shape pays off One of the big talking points following Wednesday night’s defeat to St Mirren was whether the time had come to move away from the front two. Tyreece John-Jules and Joe Hugill have struggled to click as a partnership in the opening weeks of the season and, with the Ayrshire side struggling for both results and performances, something had to give. Today, the manager changed it. John-Jules dropped to the bench with Djenairo Daniels coming into the side for his first Kilmarnock start in almost a year – his previous one coming against Celtic at Rugby Park on September 14, 2025. It has been quite the journey for Daniels over the past 12 months, and it was fantastic to see him back on the pitch and starting for the club again. Rather than partnering Hugill in a front two, Daniels started from the right as Killie lined up in a 4-2-3-1. Stryjek continued between the sticks, with Jamie Brandon – introduced at half-time in each of the previous two games – handed a start at right-back. Cathal McCarthy and George Stanger formed the central defensive partnership, with Michael Schjønning-Larsen completing the back four. Tshibola was preferred to Mark O’Hara alongside Lowery in the middle, with Ring on the left, Daniels on the right and captain Kiltie operating in the number 10 role behind Hugill. And on the evidence of the 90 minutes, the changes had the desired effect. For the first time in the Premiership this season, Kilmarnock made it through the opening half without conceding – and, more importantly, without spending the afternoon chasing the game. Kiltie looked far more influential operating centrally, while Tshibola – prior to his late rush of blood – produced some of his best football of the season. Daniels gave Killie plenty defensively down the right, helping Brandon deal with Nesta Guinness-Walker. There was understandably a little rust in the final third, particularly while operating in a position which perhaps isn’t his most natural, but getting an hour into his legs was another positive. Rory McKenzie replaced him just after the hour, with McCann continually tweaking the three behind Hugill as Kiltie, Ring and McKenzie rotated positions. Ring deserves a mention too. Playing in the final third rather than being asked to fill in further back, his pace and athleticism were there for all to see and he ran himself into the ground before John-Jules replaced him with around 15 minutes remaining. After weeks of trying to make the front two work, this looked like a much more balanced Kilmarnock side. A platform at last Sometimes a goalless draw can tell you more than a high-scoring one - particularly in Killie’s case. After four games, four defeats and 14 goals conceded, Neil McCann’s men desperately needed to show they could shut the door. Thankfully, they did. And this wasn’t simply a backs-to-the-wall 0-0 where Killie survived for 90 minutes and escaped with a point. They played the better football for much of the first half, created enough opportunities to win the game and forced Müller into more work than Stryjek at the other end. The defensive performance, though, was perhaps the most encouraging aspect. McCarthy produced an assured display at the heart of the backline and played beyond his years, while Stanger’s superb second-half block to deny Cadden typified a defensive performance which was almost unrecognisable from what had come before it. The biggest test arrived after 82 minutes. Both Tshibola and Lowery had been walking a disciplinary tightrope after their first-half bookings and, unfortunately, it eventually came back to bite them. Tshibola’s challenge on Armstrong was unnecessary, particularly for a player of his experience, and suddenly Aberdeen had the numerical advantage just as the game entered its closing stages. This Kilmarnock team has folded in difficult moments too often already this season. This time they didn’t. The ten men dug in, defended their box and ensured their performance was rewarded with a first clean sheet and first Premiership point of the campaign. One point from five games clearly isn’t where anyone wanted them to be. But the losing run is over, the defensive rot has been stopped and, for the first time this season, there was a performance to suggest things might finally be moving in the right direction. History avoided Going into this one, McCann was looking to avoid equalling the club’s worst start to a league campaign since 1995/96. Thirty-one years ago, Alex Totten’s men kicked off their season with five straight defeats against Rangers, Hibs, Raith Rovers, Motherwell and, among those opponents, today’s hosts Aberdeen. The rut was eventually halted thanks to a 1-1 draw with Partick Thistle at Firhill, with Kilmarnock ultimately recovering to finish comfortably in seventh – 11 points clear of the relegation play-off place and 17 clear of the bottom. Thankfully, the current crop won’t be joining them in the history books. There’s another Aberdeen connection to Killie’s recent struggles. McCann spoke only last week about arriving at the club with his name potentially about to be attached to its longest-ever winless run, despite having only been in the building for a matter of days. Killie were in the midst of that 17-game winless streak when he took charge, but it was finally brought to an end in late January – again against Aberdeen – with a thumping 3-0 victory at Rugby Park. There was no repeat victory at Pittodrie, but the four-game losing run is over and Killie finally have something on the board. It was only a point, but on the evidence of the performance, it was thoroughly deserved. Here’s what the manager had to say post-match Q:Is that a game you probably could have won – should have won? “Yeah, I think we were definitely the best team today. “We leave with a point, we’re pleased with that point, but yeah, we probably deserved three. Coming away to a team like Aberdeen on our travels, we can’t be too disgruntled with a point. “The most pleasing thing I said to them in there is that sometimes there are big questions asked of you and you can answer them back positively. I think today we showed that we’re brave, going back to a wee glimpse of what we’re capable of. “It’s going to take a bit more time because it’s new players coming in and it’s understanding what we demand. “But my goodness, to a man, the starting 11, the boys that came on, the boys that are desperate to come on did a great week this week. “I think there’s a wee bit of determination there that they want to start showing that they’re better than what they’ve served up in terms of points. There’s been glimpses of performances, but I think that was the least that we deserved from that match today.” Q: You’ve had to defend the team recently. Today there were probably 11, 12, 13 players who did you proud, but I thought Greg Kiltie has absolute captains performance? “Yeah, he’s a big presence for us in the middle of the pitch there, both to link our game and try to become an attacking threat. He’s very unlucky not to score today. “Big presence, you don’t need to be a six-foot-five guy. But I just believe that throughout the team today we showed a lot of bravery in terms of trying to get on the ball, dominate possession, but be creative as well. “And when we turned over that possession, making sure we showed a bit of team spirit to make it difficult to play against. “I remember Max {Stryjek) having one or two into his body. Other than that, I thought he had a comfortable afternoon. “But we know that Aberdeen are going to come at us next week. What a chance to get to Hampden, a semi-final we’ve got.” Q: Aaron Tshibola – maybe a wee bit unlucky with the second yellow? “I genuinely don’t think it’s a yellow card. “I don’t think his first is a yellow card. There are several other things that have gone on in the game. “But I get booked and I’m not quite sure how it happened. If you can’t show your emotion and your passion for what’s happening, then I think the game that we all love is gone. “I’ve gone back to my dugout and there’s a wee bottle there and I’ve kicked it at my own bit and I’m talking to my staff, and then I see that I’m getting branded with a yellow card. “I’m not going to let that take my energy. I’m not going to let that take the shine off what was a brilliant performance today.” Q: You’ve got a real anchor to build on now and finally something to show after the second half performance against St Mirren and also today? “We’ve got something to show on the board. I haven’t looked at it myself, but I know there are lots of people, our fans in particular, who will look at it and say we’ve not got any points yet. “But I’m always going to protect this team because I know that we’re trying to build something and it won’t happen immediately. “There’s lots of other teams in the same boat as I am, with the belief that as the season moves on we’ll start to show our true reflection. “But I feel today we have maybe given our fans a glimpse at what we might be capable of this season.” Q. First clean sheet in the league this season, is that something you have been working hard on? “We work on so many facets of the game. We want to be brave when we’re in possession. “We worked so hard out of possession and on the structure of the team. I know there’s been certain comments made that we don’t have this structure. We do work on structure. “Sometimes teams get a bit fortunate when you’re the team that wants to be aggressive in the game and you get turned over with a counterattack. But we do work hard at that. We don’t neglect any bit of the game. “We’ve got a clean sheet today in the league for the first time. We were the only team in the League Cup section to come through with clean sheets. We beat Ayr United in a really difficult game. “Next week is that chance to get to Hampden that this club should back for. I think it’s a fantastic chance for us to put a shine already on an early season.” Q: Does today’s performance give you more confidence going into that cup game next week? “Look, we’ve got Aberdeen coming down. I said to them in there I wasn’t overly celebrating a point. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in here saying we’ve cracked it. We’ve not. I’m more focused on that performance. “That was a performance from a group of guys that completely know where they want to go. Again, it’s just a wee start. But the cup is completely different. “We’ll give them a bit of time to recover tomorrow and then we’ll see what bumps and bruises we’ve got. We’ll start gearing up for a difficult cup game.” Q: There’s obviously a lot of concentration on the clean sheet, but the fact the Aberdeen goalkeeper was probably their most important player says a lot too? “Yeah, he was outstanding today, the big man. “He made some brilliant saves. Big Zorro in the goals, flying all over the place. But as somebody once said, that’s his job, isn’t it? But he did it very well today. “And he’s the reason why we don’t leave with three points.” Q: Did the change of shape help today, reverting away from the two strikers? “To be honest, I’ve not got a set shape. I was asked this way back when I just took the job. “I’ve not got a set way of playing. I’ve got a certain set of demands on how I want to play, but that shape will change in terms of how we want to set up against different opposition. “They changed their shape in the second half and asked us some more questions and I had to adjust it a little bit. “Once we got to grips with it, after five or ten minutes after a wee bit of concerted pressure, I felt we started to get a bit of a groove again. “And then Tish got sent off and it really asked questions of us. Honestly, that group of boys have stood up to it today and I think it was really brilliant from them.” Q: Cathal McCarthy and George Stanger at centre-half looked particularly impressive? “I thought the two of them were immense. “We’ve lost Robbie {Deas} and we can’t wait to get him back. He’s had a wee bit of good news that it’s maybe not as long as expected. “And MJ {Kamson-Kamara} has joined us from Hearts. He’s got the bit between his teeth. He’s come over here with an opportunity to try and get into our team. “But the two boys were outstanding at the back. “I have to say, the boys are celebrating with them to say that they kept a clean sheet under difficult circumstances. So yeah, there’s lots of pleasing aspects of the game.”