Jefferies plea to fair-weather fans

Killie have been handed at least 13,000 tickets - with the option of 5,000 more - for the CIS Insurance Cup final against Hibernian at Hampden next month. But their average gate in the Scottish Premier League this season is around the 6,500 mark and Jefferies wants more fans to turn up every week. He said: "I would settle for the supporters that turned at Fir Park in the semi. "We had a great support there, they got behind us, they always do away from home. "I said after the game there will be a clamour for tickets. Maybe a few of them should come along to Rugby Park because there's one thing you can't say about Kilmarnock is that we don't go out and play the right way." Ahead of Sunday's league clash with Rangers, Jefferies said: "Don't just come along for cup finals but come along and support the team. "There's a loyal bunch that do turn up that have a feelgood factor about them. "If we put a good show on in the final I'm sure we will get a few more coming along. "That will be a way the club can take a step forward." But Jefferies understands the age-old lure of the Old Firm hinders the Ayrshire side. He said: "There's a lot of people in the area that go to Parkhead or Ibrox, they are just up the road. "David Sneddon said when they won the league championship in 1965, if you took Rangers and Celtic crowds out that day the average was only 6,500. "It's not just something that has happened over the last two or three seasons." But the former Hearts boss believes there is potential for the town to back the club. "I think when they had their little bad spell a few years ago when they dropped down the divisions, it seemed to rally the town," he said. "I think they took massive support to smaller clubs to get the club back up the divisions. "Even if we get that support back it would help. "There is nothing worse when there's too many empty seats. "All you can do on the pitch is give them a team worth of coming along and seeing."