Danny Racchi sought a summer move to Kilmarnock on the basis of their reputation for playing passing football.
However, a back injury has frustrated his hopes of breaking into the Rugby Park club's starting line-up. The attacking midfielder has only made one start, in a 1-1 draw with Hibernian in November, but has made his mark off the bench in recent games.
The 23-year-old scored in the 2-1 defeat by Celtic on Christmas Eve and played most of the defeat at St Johnstone after replacing the injured Rory McKeown. James Dayton was also injured that night but Kenny Shiels, the Kilmarnock manager, is hopeful the pair will recover in time to feature in today's squad.
"Obviously, the start of the season was a little bit frustrating," said the former Huddersfield and Bury player. "Pre-season was going quite well, I was scoring a few goals. But the injury kept recurring and I missed four or five games, and the team was doing well when I got back to fitness.
"I've played a few games here and there and obviously want to get more minutes on the pitch. Lately I have been getting in and doing quite well. Hopefully I can bed myself in the first team in the next couple of games."
Racchi arrived from York on a two-year contract after being alerted to the opportunity to further his career under Shiels.
"My agent's son, Ben Gordon, was on loan here last season," said the Englishman. "He spoke to me and with the type of football I play, he said Kilmarnock would be a great option.
"I played in League One and League Two in England and it's only rarely that you get passages of play where you get really good football. Most of the game goes over your head.
"Coming up here and watching teams get the ball down and pass it on the deck is great. In my opinion it's a better standard [of football] than probably bar the Championship and upwards in England. The philosophy the gaffer has and the style of play is brilliant for me. That's one of the reasons it's been so frustrating. I feel I have something to offer.
"I'm chomping at the bit to get in that side and get going."
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