RARELY does a conversation with Kenny Shiels pass without mention of his football philosophy.

Yet on Saturday, with the blustery conditions so fierce as to send a small tarpaulin scurrying halfway across the pitch during the second half of this soporific encounter, there were the first signs of those principles bending in the wind.

The interruption of such pragmatism pained the Kilmarnock manager, who described himself afterwards as feeling "hollow inside" and suggesting it would be hypocritical for him to welcome this perfunctory 2-0 victory over Aberdeen given the way his players had performed, but the tactical revisionism that caused the Rugby Park side to adopt a 4-4-2 shape was instructive. The adjustment might have been more through circumstance than choice – the absence of the increasingly influential Liam Kelly and Danny Buijs necessitating a midfield recast – but afterwards Shiels did reluctantly reference a need to counteract the worsening conditions over the coming weeks.

Fortunately amid a squad of clever prompters he has a player who can act as a pivot, an out-ball for his team-mates to hit when the conditions make their intricate play impractical. It might not be why Gary Harkins was recruited from Dundee, the midfielder being instead renowned for his deliberate midfield swagger, but on Saturday the 26-year-old was highly effective, first in a front two with Paul Heffernan, then as a lone forward.

While his assist for the second goal was a typically clever intervention, his own efforts in scoring the first – harrying centre-back Andrew Considine into a mistake then showing a hitherto hidden turn of pace to reach a short back pass – spoke of a player who is perhaps finally marrying his undoubted talent to the fitness required to make the most of it.

"He knows he carries a little bit of timber but he's been working hard and that's showing on the pitch," said James Dayton, the Kilmarnock winger. "Gary has got everything you need; he's big, strong, great with the ball at his feet, good in the air and he brings a lot to us. He's got a great footballing brain and great ability and he just fits right into this side. We can use him as a different outlet and sometimes hit it up to him if we need to as a plan B."

Aberdeen, on the other hand, appear to be without even a plan A. Craig Brown's side recovered from a two-goal deficit in the meeting of these sides in September but looked utterly incapable of responding to the loss of the fifth-minute opener this time; the only surprise was the outcome was not more overwhelming. Two thumping home wins in the middle of a desolate 12-game run have masked the problems at Pittodrie but they remain bereft of width or creativity, even if Brown and assistant Archie Knox have assembled a squad full of sturdy performers.

Perhaps of more concern is the belief among the players and staff that misfortune is the reason for their current position at the bottom of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. Granted, Aberdeen are not the poorest team in the league this season but such opinions mean little when the points are totted up.

"I don't think we're a million miles away, its just that little bit of luck," said goalkeeper Jason Brown, whose only involvement was to twice retrieve the ball from his net. "Every single one of us is working hard and football can change so quickly, and we're capable of going on a streak. To a certain degree, I'm surprised we're down at the bottom but the league doesn't lie and we're not too good to go down, but it's frustrating for the manager and Archie because they see what we're capable of and it's just trying to put that together and getting the win we need.

"I know what it's like to be in a relegation fight and I've seen one or two players give up but in this changing room, nobody is doing that. If we get a little bit of luck, confidence will spread like wildfire and you see the best players shine in the pressure games."