IT seems entirely appropriate that Kilmarnock are on the brink of a significant milestone in their history as Steve Clarke celebrates one year in charge at Rugby Park.
After coming from behind to win for the fourth game running, Killie are now seeking to win five top-flight matches in succession for the first time since reconstruction in 1975 when they meet Hamilton Academical next Saturday.
The Rugby Park club have only managed to win four in a row on four occasions in the past 43 years, 1980, 1994 and 1997 being the others.
It is another glaring sign of the remarkable impact Clarke has made since taking over in October of last year, transforming a club that had diced with relegation for a number of years.
In the past 12 months Clarke has lost only five Premiership matches out of 33 and three of those defeats came post-split after he had led the club into the top six.
It represents a 73 per cent success rate, so no wonder the Killie fans, who filled the away end at Paisley on Saturday, are loving every minute.
The comeback win over Saints, which was not without its controversies, has elevated them to third place in the Premiership table, equal on points with champions Celtic in second, and the question now is how far can this Killie team go?
"We are challenging ourselves every week,” said midfielder Alan Power. “We said before we went away to Dundee it's very hard to get three wins on the bounce in this league but we managed to do that.
“And now we have got our fourth. We are a level-headed group who work hard for each other and we certainly won't get ahead of ourselves.
"It's a good trait to have to be able to come back from a goal down. But it's something we want to rectify and cut out.
“There's going to come a stage where we won't be able to come back. So, it's something we need to put right.
"I don't know what's causes it, I don't know if that releases us going a goal down. It's hard to say. It's hard to put our finger on it.
"It's been a great turnaround since Steve Clark came in and we are still learning as well.
“We are passing the ball more than last year, we are trying different shapes and have different personalities in the team. That's the exciting thing."
Power was the unlikely catalyst to Killie’s comeback as he scored the first goal of his Rugby Park career – and it was quite a goal.
He found the top left corner in 55 minutes with a superb strike from the edge of the box and it was almost as much a surprise to him as it was to his manager.
He revealed: “I practice shooting a lot and thankfully it paid off. I actually lost a shooting drill on Friday, so maybe I need to do that more often."
Power’s strike cancelled out Adam Hamill’s free kick in 14 minutes that deceived everyone and then the big talking points kicked in.
In 68 minutes, assistant referee Douglas Ross decided Aaron Tshibola’s header was over the line then Simeon Jackson was flagged offside two minutes later for what would have been an equaliser by the other linesman, David Roome.
Angry goalkeeper Craig Samson said: "Two linesmen have made two massive calls in the game and it has cost us the match.
"I don't know if the ball s over the line for their second goal but I don't think the linesman can give it.
"I think the rules are that you have to be 100 per cent sure and if he can see through people then he must be Superman.
“Simeon Jackson is onside when he scores. It is not debatable.”
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