KENNY Shiels has begun his audition for the role of Kilmarnock manager.

Having served as assistant to Mixu Paatelainen this season he has an acute understanding of what the position requires, along with experience of similar roles elsewhere. His resumé includes managing in the Irish League and he received critical acclaim after leading the Northern Ireland Under-17s to a European semi-final in 2006.

Shiels brings with him a certain pedigree then, and his cause is aided further by Kilmarnock’s slender budget. The Rugby Park club to not possess the finances to attract a blockbuster name and chairman Michael Johnston may decide it is more prudent to simply inscribe Shiels’ name on the manager’s door than enter into a potentially costly casting process.

Shiels may feel his inaugural appearance was a little flat, though, at least by the standards set by his predecessor. Under Paatelainen, Kilmarnock were rejuvenated and toured the country with a compelling act containing scenes of intricate passing and flowing attacking moves. Their performance was not quite so impressive during this goalless draw with St Johnstone yesterday.

Kilmarnock lacked the vigour and fluency that had become hallmarks under Paatelainen and St Johnstone goalkeeper Peter Enckelman was rarely troubled. Alexei Eremenko succeeded in cultivating a few chances, but these were only sporadic. The Finn turned one pass in to the path of William Gros in the first half, but his shot was tipped past the post, which was about as close as the visitors came to scoring.

Eremenko later lamented the parlous state of pitch. “Not even Barcelona could play well on that pitch,” he said, but an admittedly poor playing surface was not solely to blame for his side’s travails. This match was perhaps not ideal for Shiels then as he seeks to progress from caretaker to permanent manager, but it would be unwise – and indeed unfair – to judge him solely on this outing given he had to preside over a period of tumult this week.

“Mixu and I had prepared the team up until Thursday and then Mixu was away, and I think it had an adverse affect on the players,” said Shiels, who confirmed defender Frazer Wright is out for the season with a shoulder injury after going off late on. “I felt they were apprehensive and the normal flair just wasn’t there.”

And yet Kilmarnock still succeeded in consolidating their position in the top six, a feat St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes has given up on emulating. His side are only six points behind Motherwell, but as the Perth side must face both halves of the Old Firm and Dundee United before the split, he believes the task is now beyond them.

They had chances, they always do. The home side controlled possession and regularly surged forward, but they failed to translate that into goals. Kilmarnock goalkeeper Anssi Jaakola tipped over long-range efforts from David Mackay and Danny Invincibile, while Peter MacDonald looped a header onto the crossbar in the second half.

Lamenting such profligacy has become all too familiar for McInnes. “I’m embarrassed we’ve scored so few goals,” he said. “It’s hard at times to criticise the players when there is a dominance like that but the reason we’re not in the top six, the reason we haven’t won here is because we haven’t scored enough goals.”

Performance slips but it is only act one