FOUR matches into his Kilmarnock career and Youssuf Mulumbu has yet to taste defeat. This, as anyone who witnessed this classy 30-year-old midfielder boss the 2-1 victory against Rangers on Saturday would surely attest, is no idle co-incidence.

Three wins and a draw since his arrival only emphasises how much of an early Christmas present this DR Congo international, signed as a free agent by his savvy former West Brom gaffer Steve Clarke in late November, has been for the long-suffering Kilmarnock fans. As he anticipated the play, refused to give up possession and always seemed to find the right pass, no wonder locals in this part of Ayrshire were shaking their heads in a manner which suggested they haven’t always witnessed this kind of quality.

Signed only on a short-term deal until the end of the season after an unhappy, injury-blighted spell at Norwich City, Clarke told them to simply appreciate his talents while he is there, but the fans will hope Mulumbu isn’t here just for Christmas. After a whistlestop visit to Paris to spend Christmas Day with his family, next up for the midfielder, and the rest of a side who are suddenly in the top six and gathering momentum, is tomorrow’s meeting with Hamilton Accies.

‘When you know your talent and have confidence, you can play anywhere,” said Mulumbu, part of a three-man central axis at the Rugby Park side including Gary Dicker and Alan Power which largely lorded it over Rangers on Saturday. “I am someone who likes to play football and I am enjoying playing for Kilmarnock.

‘If everything is okay, I might pick up a bigger team or I might go back in the Premier League,” he added. “You never know. But right now, I am enjoying my time and I hope were are going to finish in the first part of the table.

“I signed a deal until the end of the season and it is a challenge for me,” he added. “I had some injuries and people doubted me. Is he able to play? Is he able to run? You got your answer on the pitch against Rangers. I was running for 90 minutes to do my best to win the game.

‘But I’m not 100 per cent yet, he added. “Before Kilmarnock, my last game was back in February for Congo. So I am just catching up. I hope not to get any injuries and then be fully fit after the break. Hopefully that means my performances can get better.”

When you have been a week-to-week starter in the Barclays Premier League with West Brom, it was little wonder if Mulumbu struggled with being only an occasional contributor at an East Anglian outfit who dropped to the Championship. “I’m not going to lie to you,” he said. “When you play for West Brom week in, week out, and you are one of the main players then you go to Norwich, which is maybe a lower team, it is quite hard when you don’t play. I picked up some injuries and the coach [Alex Neil] wasn’t really great with me. I’m not going to blame him because maybe I did some stuff. It was just football and I had some bad luck.

“I came here because I knew how Steve Clarke worked. He gives me 100 per cent confidence on the pitch. Even at 30, I feel I am learning every day. I try to help those young lads like JJ [Jordan Jones] and Greg Taylor and I hope some of those guys will be in the Premier League in the future. Even in the dressing room at half-time against Rangers, when we were losing 1-0, the gaffer was the same. He didn’t talk for five minutes and let us breathe. After that he started to repair things he felt were wrong. That is his secret. He is good tactically and someone who is just meant to be a coach. I am happy he is getting some great results. But let’s keep this run going until the winter break.”