The news this week that Kilmarnock had been nominated as the worst place in Scotland to live might have broken its luckless residents had their football team still been stuck in their long, early season winless rut.

Fortunately, though, things are looking up for Allan Johnston's side, who travel to Inverness tomorrow in search of their third victory in as many games.

"The boys have a bit of confidence, now, a bit of belief," said Johnston. "That's what a couple of results does. But they've been playing well and we've not been far away. That's what we've been trying to say to them. It's been good to turn that into wins and good performances."

Kris Boyd, the rejuvenated striker, has stolen the headlines with his goals, but the two wins - against Ross County and Hearts - have been built on two clean sheets. And Boyd himself has made a considerable contribution to such solidity. "It's a whole team effort," said Johnston. "You can see the strikers working back in. I think that's what a lot of people noticed last week with Boydy coming back in the last five minutes of the game. It's not just your defence, it's a whole team effort. That's how you get results."

The manager has also been putting in the hours off the field, several of them of them on Tuesday. Johnston made the slog from Ayrshire up to the Caledonian Stadium to watch Saturday's opponents take on Dundee United in the Scottish League Cup. "It was a fair trek," he conceded. "When you get the chance to go see a team yourself you've got to take it. You can see they are a threat, especially the players they've got going forward. You always learn something and hopefully it pays dividends."

There was good news for, too, from the medical room. Darren Barr left the field on a stretcher last week after what looked like nasty knock to his neck. He was pictured after the match wearing a brace, but Johnston was delighted with how quickly the centre-back has recovered. "He was in the next day," the Kilmarnock manager revealed. "It's no surprise to see him out there back training, because that's the kind of lad he is. He got a right bang to his neck so we weren't taking any chances. It's a big boost because he's a big player for us. He's a leader. You can tell how much it means to him to play."

Kilmarnock are still waiting, though, for the results of the tests on Rabiu Ibrahim, who was taken to hospital after collapsing on the pitch two weeks ago. "We'll have to wait until next week, until the tests are completed, before we get advice from the medical staff," Johnston said.