1987–88 Kilmarnock F.C. season

The 1987–88 season was Kilmarnock's 86th in Scottish League Competitions. After a troublesome season exacerbated by their lack of scoring,^[6] the club staved off relegation, finishing in 10th place, one point ahead East Fife and Dumbarton who were relegated.^[7]

Kilmarnock

1987–88 season
Chairman	Bob Lauchlan[1]
Manager	Eddie Morrison[1]
Scottish First Division	10th[1][2]
Scottish Cup	3R[3][2]
Scottish League Cup	2R[4][2]
Top goalscorer	League: Colin Harkness 15[1][2] All: Colin Harkness 16[1][2]
Highest home attendance	3,230 (v Queen of the South, 2 January)[1][2]
Lowest home attendance	1,235 (v Forfar Athletic, 22 August)[1][2]
Average home league attendance	1,846[5] (down 1,000)
← 1986–87 1988–89 →

By early March 1988, the team had only ten wins and 41 goals in 34 games and were rated as being in "dire straits" in terms of potential relegation to the Second Division. The team's poor performance was blamed on a "lack of punch up front."^[6]

With one game remaining in the season, the club faced relegation if they did not win the final game.^[8] Kilmarnock keeper Alan McCulloch returned from a suspected broken hand for the final game.^[9] Kilmarnock defeated Partick Thistle 1–0 in the final game to avoid relegation.

Manager Eddie Morrison, interviewed by The Kilmarnock Standard, described the season as "probably one of the most disappointing the club has ever experienced" and added, "The team's performances were, to say the least, erratic, frustrating and at times very disappointing."^[10]

Players

The 1987–88 squad for Kilmarnock was as follows:^[11]

• Archie Bell
• Ian Bryson
• Robert Clark
• Jim Cockburn
• Derek Cook
• Scott Cuthbertson
• Frazer Davidson
• Colin Harkness
• Barry Holland
• Hugh Houston
• Lex Lindsay
• Lenny Lowe
• Stephen Marshall
• Paul Martin
• Graham Millar
• Bobby McConville
• Alan McCulloch
• Jim McGuire
• Ian McInnes
• Stuart McLean
• John McVeigh
• Joe Reid
• Alan Robertson

Competitions

Scottish First Division

Main article: 1987–88 Scottish First Division

Tables

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
8	Partick Thistle	44	16	9	19	60	64	−4	41
9	Clyde	44	16	6	22	73	75	−2	38
10	Kilmarnock	44	13	11	20	55	60	−5	37
11	East Fife (R)	44	13	10	21	61	76	−15	36	Relegation to the Second Division
12	Dumbarton (R)	44	12	12	20	51	70	−19	36

Source: RSSSF^{[dead link‍]} and statto^[12]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated

Results

Match Day	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score	Kilmarnock Scorer(s)	Attendance
1	8 August	Hamilton Academical	H	0–2[13]		2,178
2	12 August	East Fife	A	1–2[14]	Reid(24)	657
3	15 August	Dumbarton	A	3–1[15]	Harkness(46), McInnes(63), Cuthbertson(81)	824
4	22 August	Forfar Athletic	H	2–2[16]	Harkness(6), Reid(87)	1,235
5	29 August	Queen of the South	H	0–2[17]		1,836
6	5 September	Meadowbank Thistle	A	1–2[18]	Cook(45)	698
7	12 September	Raith Rovers	H	3–4[19]	Cuthbertson(7), Harkness(12), McInnes(52)	1,436
8	15 September	Clydebank	A	0–2[20]		857
9	19 September	Airdrieonians	A	2–3[21]	Bryson(9), Lawrie o.g.(70)	1,513
10	26 September	Clyde	H	2–0[22]	Harkness(16), Bryson(43)	1,732
11	29 September	Partick Thistle	H	1–1[23]	Harkness(39)	2,030
12	3 October	Hamilton Academical	A	1–1[24]	Harkness(35)	1,218
13	6 October	East Fife	H	2–0[25]	Harkness(37,89)	1,441
14	10 October	Forfar Athletic	A	0–2[26]		896
15	17 October	Raith Rovers	A	2–0[27]	Gilmour(31pen), Harkness(47)	2,187
16	20 October	Clydebank	H	1–3[28]	McGuire(79)	1,733
17	24 October	Dumbarton	H	1–0[29]	Gilmour(89)	1,571
18	31 October	Meadowbank Thistle	H	2–4[30]	Harkness(22,88)	1,442
19	3 November	Partick Thistle	A	0–1[31]		1,407
20	7 November	Queen of the South	A	4–1[32]	Bryson(71), McInnes(74), Reid(89,90)	1,479
21	14 November	Airdrieonians	H	1–0[33]	Reid(14)	1,978
22	21 November	Clyde	A	0–2[34]		1,145
23	28 November	Hamilton Academical	H	1–0[35]	Harkness(55)	1,922
24	5 December	East Fife	A	1–2[36]	Bryson(38)	571
25	12 December	Raith Rovers	H	1–1[37]	Reid(73)	1,654
26	19 December	Clydebank	A	0–1[38]		1,015
27	26 December	Meadowbank Thistle	A	3–1[39]	McFarlane(44), Harkness(78,87)	751
28	2 January	Queen of the South	H	0–0[40]		3,230
29	9 January	Airdrieonians	A	3–3[41]	Gilmour(29 pen), McFarlane(67,70)	1,588
30	16 January	Clyde	H	3–1[42]	Harkness(21), Bryson(44), Cuthbertson(64)	1,752
31	23 January	Dumbarton	A	0–1[43]		1,048
32	6 February	Forfar Athletic	H	0–2[44]		1,281
33	13 February	Partick Thistle	H	0–1[45]		2,432
34	27 February	Hamilton Academical	A	0–1[46]		2,048
35	5 March	Raith Rovers	A	2–2[47]	Davidson(80), Cuthbertson(87)	1,462
36	12 March	Clydebank	H	2–2[48]	Martin(23), Bourke(46)	1,549
37	19 March	Meadowbank Thistle	H	0–0[49]		1,662
38	26 March	Queen of the South	A	0–1[50]		1,650
39	2 April	Forfar Athletic	A	1–1[51]	Gilmour(85 pen)	713
40	9 April	Dumbarton	H	3–1[52]	Gilmour(49), McGuire(55), Bryson(63)	2,205
41	16 April	Clyde	A	0–0[53]		1,120
42	23 April	Airdrieonians	H	4–1[54]	Bourke(10), McGuire(51,80), Gilmour(56 pen)	1,953
43	30 April	East Fife	H	1–3[55]	Gilmour(?)	2,488
44	7 May	Partick Thistle	A	1–0[56]	Gilmour(66)	3,103

Scottish League Cup

Main article: 1987-88 Scottish League Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score	Kilmarnock Scorer(s)	Attendance
R2	19 August	Heart of Midlothian	A	1–6[57]	Bryson(62pen)	9,500

Scottish Cup

Main article: 1987–88 Scottish Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score	Kilmarnock Scorer(s)	Attendance
R3	30 January	Motherwell	A	0–0[58]		6,488
R3R	3 February	Motherwell	H	1–3[59]	Harkness(49)	7,591

See also

• List of Kilmarnock F.C. seasons