Derek McInnes reckons Premiership defenders would breathe a sigh of relief if he left skipper Kyle Vassell out of the team.
The Killie gaffer heaped praise on his striker after he ended an 11-game goalless streak with a vital winner against Hearts in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old turned in a terrific shift as he got the better of the Jambos backline all evening. He bullied Frankie Kent off the ball in the lead up to Matty Kennedy’s opener before fending off Kye Rowles for the winner.
It was only the skipper’s second goal in 16 games this term – but McInnes insists the former Blackpool man’s influence goes on his team goes far beyond putting the ball in the back of the net,
He said: “I’m delighted for him, being the captain, being a big figure for us.
“Sometimes he gets the raw end of the stick, but his job is to score goals as well as everything else he does brilliantly.
“So I’m pleased for him as a centre forward to get the winning goal against Hearts. It’s a great finish.
“It’s the law of the jungle, strikers if they’re not scoring goals sometimes people don’t see everything else, but he’s massive for us.
“Those centre-halves, if they see my team sheet come in and Kyle Vassell is not playing, they all take a breath.
“He’s been so important to us. His goals and his influence helped keep us up when he signed.
“His goals and influence have helped get us to Europe and finish fourth last season.
“And his goals and presence will hopefully help us have a good season. People need to see what’s in front of them.”
Killie travel north to face Dundee tomorrow, just four weeks after a staggering comeback in which they picked up a 3-2 at the same stadium despite being two goals behind in the 86th minutes.
McInnes said: “We have had some really exciting games against Dundee over the last few years, there has been a lot of drama in them.
“Hopefully we can go there, stay unbeaten and be good enough to get a result.
“You have to be good over 90 minutes to get a result away in this league. We managed to do it over 45 on Wednesday against Hearts but we put it at risk.”
The boss is set to welcome back Liam Donnelly from suspension while Liam Polworth – who could make his 100th appearance for the club on Sunday – is back in training.
Defender Stuart Findlay, however, remains sidelined.