David Watson is hoping his trademark goal against Aberdeen is a sign of things to come in 2025.
The 19-year-old produced a perfectly timed run into the box to net Killie’s second in their 4-0 Boxing Day trouncing of the Dons at Rugby Park.
They see out 2024 away to Hibs this afternoon and the reigning Young Player of the Year is targeting a more regular appearance on the scoresheet for his New Year resolution.
He said: “It’s something I’ve worked on with the gaffer – making late runs into the box and trying to score more goals.
“Especially as a No.8, that’s what people look for. I want to add goals to my game and my aim is to beat last season’s tally when I scored five.”
Watson’s strike against the Dons was no.4 for the campaign so he’s well placed to beat that mark while the Prestwick Pirlo insists he wants a repeat performance of their display from Thursday afternoon when they travel to Easter Road.
He said: “It was the best result of the season. We were solid at the back which allowed us to be more creative and more attacking. And we were clinical in front of goal.
“It’s been coming, to be fair. We’ve got a good bit of momentum going and can go to Easter Road and hopefully get another three points.”
Boss Derek McInnes, meanwhile, insists they’ll be in for a challenging afternoon against a rejuvenated outfit.
After a slow start to the campaign, David Gray’s side have picked up four wins in their last five games – with that sole loss being away to Celtic.
They’ve also been finding the net plenty, too, with 14 goals in their last six games.
McInnes said: “We can take confidence from Thursday’s result – but Hibs are going to give us a totally different game.
“Hibs will bounce into it, similar to ourselves. They are on the back of a derby win and they’ve really picked up recently. It’s no real surprise when you look at the calibre of player they have.
“Fair play to Davie Gray and Liam Craig, who have managed to drag a few results out of them and get a bit of confidence. There’s no doubt we’ll expect a tough game.”
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