Team news

Wright: Time to give Kyle some support Frazer Wright has urged his Kilmarnock team-mates to take the pressure off Kevin Kyle by getting among the goals.

Kyle has been Killie's main attacking threat with six goals this season and has notched four of their eight goals in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

Only three other players - Jamie Hamill with two, Conor Sammon and Danny Invincibile - have been on target in the league for Killie.

Defender Wright insists they cannot always rely on Kyle to get the goals, as the club captain has notched a double in each of their league wins this season.

The only time Wright has been on the scoresheet was when he netted an own goal in their win over St Johnstone but he is determined to be a threat at the other end against Dundee United at Rugby Park tomorrow.

Wright said: "We need to start getting goals from all over the park and not just rely on Kevin.

"I can't actually remember the last time we scored from a set-piece and, if we did, it was probably Big Kev that scored it.

"The likes of myself and the midfielders need to chip in with a few goals.

"I usually get a couple each season, although this year the only one I've had was an own goal against St Johnstone.

"But hopefully I can start getting a few goals.

"It has been frustrating this season because, if you look at the chances we have been creating, we've been unlucky not to have a few more points, especially from our home games.

"We drew with Rangers, Aberdeen and were beaten by St Mirren but if we'd taken our chances in those games, we'd probably have gone onto win them and we'd be sitting seven points better off." Kilmarnock took seven points from their three league meetings with United last season.

On-loan goalkeeper Mark Brown is available after being unable to feature against parent club Celtic.

Killie boss Jim Jefferies will have to decide between Brown and Cameron Bell, who performed well against the Hoops last weekend.

Dundee United striker Francisco Sandaza's groin operation has been put back to next week after the Spaniard contracted food poisoning.

The ex-Valencia B player was due to go under the knife in Bradford yesterday but fell ill overnight and was unable to travel.

He has now been booked in for a new appointment on Monday and faces six weeks of rehabilitation.

The 24-year-old has not played at all this season after undergoing a double-hernia procedure in his homeland over the summer but the doctors are convinced this latest bout of surgery will cure the problem once and for all.

Manager Craig Levein revealed: "Fran is having his operation on Monday now.

"It was supposed to be today but he's contracted a bit of food poisoning so it's been put back.

"He'll be out for six weeks after it but the good thing now is that we know exactly what the problem is.

"He's been really down about being injured but he'll get the operation next week and then will be able to look forward.

"Obviously, having him out for longer than we thought is a blow but it's the lesser of two evils because we were worried it might be three months." United travel to Kilmarnock in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League tomorrow looking to put to bed an unhappy record at Rugby Park.

The Tangerines have won only once in their last eight visits to Ayrshire but Levein has seen enough from his players in recent weeks to suggest they are edging back to peak form.

He said: "We've not got a great record against Kilmarnock recently so that's something we want to rectify.

"A lot of it has been down to the way we've played. But Killie are a good side, so we are fully aware that if we don't play at our best then we'll struggle.

"I saw encouraging signs against Rangers last week. We played with the tempo and aggression that I want the team to show.

"We'll put out an attacking side this weekend so hopefully we'll continue to create chances and get a positive result." United will have striker Damian Casalinuovo available, even though he only returned from a hamstring injury.

The Argentinian is vying for a start along with Danny Cadamarteri and David Goodwillie and Levein has challenged the trio to make permanent claims for a jersey.

With Jon Daly nearing his comeback and Sandaza set to embark on his recuperation, competition for places will hot up in the near future.

Kilmarnock vs Dundee Utd

Last modified 17:17 07/11/09

Damian at the double for United A Damian Casalinuovo double gave Dundee United a 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock in their Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash at Rugby Park.

The Argentinian striker put the Taysiders ahead from the spot in the 21st minute after Killie left-back Garry Hay had clumsily tripped United's tricky midfielder Jennison Myrie-Williams inside the box.

In a game that saw good performances from both goalkeepers, and good chances spurned, mostly by the home side, Casalinuovo was handed his second goal on a plate in the 57th minute when he was set up by Myrie-Williams.

Referee Stevie O'Reilly had a peculiar afternoon in which he made a series of baffling decisions but, although it was enough to enrage the Killie fans in the crowd of 4,753, the official's display had no material impact on a deserved United victory.

Before the visitors got the game going, there was a perfectly-observed minute's silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

Killie had a penalty claim in the fifth minute when United stopper Andy Webster eased Kevin Kyle off the ball six yards from goal as the Rugby Park skipper raced to reach a Jamie Hamill cross, but referee O'Reilly, correctly on this occasion, waved play on.

O'Reilly, though, used his whistle all too often in the early stages as a series of free-kicks prevented any flow to the game.

The home side were slightly more forceful and United keeper Nicky Weaver produced a good block from Hamill's angled drive in the 10th minute then foiled Kyle's volley from a similar position after the Tannadice side's offside trap had let them down.

But, in the 21st minute, United took the lead after they were awarded a spot-kick when Hay, back in the side after missing the defeat by Celtic last week, tripped Myrie Williams inside the box.

Noticeably, there were no complaints from Hay and Casalinuovo stroked his penalty past Rugby Park keeper Mark Brown.

Kilmarnock tried to battle back but, to the frustration of the home supporters, they were continually thwarted by the offside flag.

The visitors' defence remained solid in the face of a mostly aerial bombardment and the impressive Myrie-Williams provided a constant threat down the right.

However, in the 37th minute it was United midfielder Morgaro Gomis who drew a fine save from Brown with a 25-yard drive, the Killie keeper diving to his left to turn the ball round the post.

At the other end, moments after Killie had defended the corner, Weaver dealt well with a Gavin Skelton volley that had power but was aimed too close to the keeper, who then made a brilliant point-blank save from Kyle's 12-yard volley two minutes from the interval.

The offside flag continued to punctuate the game after the break, mostly, as in the first half, in favour of the Taysiders.

Some hesitancy in the Killie box in the 52nd minute gave Casalinuovo the chance to double his tally but Brown turned the angled drive from 10 yards past the post and the home side survived the corner.

The second half began to heat up and, at the other end, after good work by Killie midfielder Craig Bryson in burrowing his way into the Tannadice box, James Fowler drove the cut-back over the bar from the edge of the box.

In the 57th minute, though, Casalinuovo sealed the points for the visitors when he grabbed his second.

David Goodwillie's first-time pass sent Myrie-Williams racing into the Kilmarnock box and, when he drew Brown and slipped the ball across the six-yard box, the big striker had the easiest of tasks in knocking the ball into the empty net.

Brown then had to make another fine save from Myrie-Williams as Killie left gaps in pursuit of a lifeline.

Conor Sammon replaced Hamill in the 63rd minute as Jefferies tried another avenue but it was Brown who had to block Goodwillie's drive before Weaver parried Bryson's close-range effort at the other end.

As desperation permeated the home side's play, Kyle did manage to beat the offside trap but volleyed over from 12 yards with only Weaver to beat.

Having done his damage, Casalinuovo was replaced by Danny Cadamarteri in the 75th minute before Mark Burchill came on to make his Kilmarnock debut at the expense of Fernandez.