Jefferies buoyed by fans backing

Last updated : 02 April 2007 By Killie97



Almost 18,000 Killie supporters travelled to the national stadium almost a fortnight ago to see their side destroyed 5-1 by Hibernian. But as he looked forward to playing Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday, Jefferies revealed the club's supporters have helped him get over the defeat. He said: "The response from the fans has been fantastic. "We expected to get a few emails and calls from aggrieved fans but every one of them has been positive. "They told us that they are happy with what they have seen this season, and that they had a great day at the cup final, although it didn't work out for us. "Like everybody else, I had a couple of days after the final when I was down but we will learn from it. "The mood among the players is fine now. We had them in for training earlier than we had planned because we had to get them going. "They got it out of their system last week and they have been buzzing this week." Killie have already secured their place in the top six but Jefferies has no worries about his players taking their foot off the gas. The former Hearts boss insists a similar finish to last season would constitute a miracle for the cash-strapped Ayrshire side. He said: "I would have been a lot more worried if we hadn't made the top six before the final. "The teams above us are the clubs with better resources than us, there is no doubt about it. "But we managed to get fifth last year which was a fantastic achievement and if we manage to get fifth again, and with a cup final on top of that, it will be a miracle. "And these boys will deserve it. "We made a major cup final without five or six players who might have played and who would have given us a better chance. "And despite the long-term injuries, we have still managed to get into the top six."