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Neil McCann on Ayrshire derby preparation, Gary Naysmith reunion and the importance of bouncing back The manager spoke to the media on Thursday morning before tonight's Ayrshire derby at Rugby Park Neil McCann says Kilmarnock must embrace the emotion of tonight’s Ayrshire derby as his side look to produce an immediate response to their difficult start to the Premiership campaign. Killie welcome Ayr United to Rugby Park in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup, with a 10,000-strong crowd expected for the first competitive meeting between the sides since 2022. McCann has experienced his fair share of derbies as both a player and manager, admitting he has learned to keep his emotions in check on the touchline. The Rugby Park boss also opened up about facing former Hearts and Scotland teammate Gary Naysmith, why friendships are put to one side for the game, and the evidence from last season that gives him confidence his side will bounce back. Here is every word the manager had to say away from the cameras… 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! Q. You’ve got a good record as a manager in derby matches. Is that something you can look to take confidence from? “Maybe, I don’t know, that might be the case. I’ve obviously experienced it with the Dundee derby, which is great, and the Highland derby as well. “So I’ve got experience with lots of guises, so I get it. And that’s maybe a good thing for me as a gaffer. I’m not going into this new and blinded. “You all know me now and what my personality is like. I love this. I love this challenge. I love every challenge, but these ones are pretty special. “10,000 fans in Rugby Park tomorrow night. That’s what you play professional sport for, moments like this.” Q. As you’ve grown and become more experienced as a manager, is it easier now to keep your emotions in check for games like this? “I said that when I was saying I’m improving as a manager because I’m trying to be less emotional at the side of the pitch and more calculated. Maybe that showed when I never threw the bottle at the weekend. I held on to it! “But I’m just invested with the team. And when you’re younger, maybe that boils over a wee bit too much. But I want the boys to know that I’m in it completely with them - and I think they get that, they know that already. “So it’s important that I show a wee bit of composure tomorrow night from the side of the pitch and I’m aware of what’s going on. And then the guys play full of emotion on the pitch as well.” Q. I know you said it’s just another person in the opposite dugout, but there must be something special about going up against someone that you’ve known for this long? “No, not really. I like Gary, he’s an ex-teammate of mine. “We’ve shared many memories, but it’s no different from going up against somebody I’ve never managed against. “It doesn’t bear any extra significance to me. As I said, maybe that’s why I’m like marmite to a lot of people. “But when I’m playing against somebody, no matter who it is, we’re not friends at that moment in time. I’m all in with Kilmarnock, and Gary’s unfortunately on the other side.” Q. Is he somebody who, out with this week, you did keep in touch with throughout your career? “Every now and again, yeah. “But you play with that many people and you form that many friendships. The good thing about football, when you do something special, as I said, we did in ‘98, then the connection is always there. “And if you’ve played with someone through different levels of your career, when you pick the phone up to them or you bump into them, it’s like you just walked out of the dressing room. And that’s the beauty of football, and that’s the beauty of making relationships through the game. “But I expect him to have the same sort of answers. Maybe if he’s answering some of these questions, he’ll have no time for me until the game’s done.” Q. You are two competitive guys, and that’s why you were so successful, I suppose? “That’s the way you’ve got to be. That’s the way I think you’ve got to be. “And when you look at sport right through, I’m very into my sport. I love sport, I’m very passionate about it. “I love watching all the reruns, whether it be baseball, basketball, ice hockey, no matter what it is. They don’t care for one another until the game’s done. And I suppose that’s what gives you an edge.” Q. Can you take anything from last season at all? You had a couple of heavy defeats but bounced back the week after, at Falkirk etc. “Yes, absolutely. Without question. “We got an absolute hiding at Falkirk. 5-1, really sore defeat. “Went on an international break, came back, played against the league leaders who were free-scoring and not really conceding an awful lot. We kept a clean sheet and won 1-0. “And by the way, not by luck. Played some brilliant football that night, pretty much blunted Hearts, I would say, as good as anybody did last season. “So yes, we’ve got evidence there to lean back on, and that’s good to be able to reach into that. “So the one thing this team showed last season was character in abundance. I will not, and the staff will not, let the boys cry themselves to sleep on the pillow for a couple of nights after that. “That’s a case of ‘get back to work and get back at it’, and that’s the only way we’ll get better.” Q. Where are you squad-wise now in terms of adding to it? “The window’s got a few weeks to go. “I’m not really concentrating on that, to be honest with you. Once we get past tomorrow night, we’ll see where we are, but you’re always selfish as a manager and trying to add to the squad. “But as I said all along, if that’s all I’ve got right now, I’m delighted. We’re clicking along quite nicely, and the players we’ve got in, we’ve just got to keep improving. “As I said, we’ve got a big, big season ahead of us.” Q. I know you said last season you love these evening games. It’s not really going to be under the lights now that we’re still in the summer light, but these occasions are really special, aren’t they? “Night-time games are special, whether they’re under the lights or not. “Somebody rolled in a wee thing the other day. They were talking about different atmospheres and night-times and the best atmospheres we’ve played in. “Generally, most of them are played at night, weirdly. Whether it’s under the lights, the last one when we were talking about it was a Parma game we played in the Champions League qualifier when I was at Rangers. “It was an August night, brilliant weather, the stadium was bouncing. “I’m not saying it’s going to be Rangers against Parma in the Champions League here, but to get 10,000 Ayrshire fans in here in a derby, I’m expecting a lot of noise tomorrow night. “We have to do everything in our power to make sure that we’re making our fans the loudest.”