Kilmarnock’s Greg Kiltie admits getting used to Angelo Alessio will take a bit of time

Greg Kiltie is confident his loan spell at Morton last term can enable him to hit the ground running with Kilmarnock this season.

The 22-year-old was farmed out to the Cappielow side for the latter half of the campaign, an experience he believes has enhanced his overall game.

Given the current issues facing Angelo Alessio’s side, Kilmarnock could certainly do with an injection of confidence and belief as they seek to steady themselves following their embarrassing start to the season.

The hangover from their Europa League exit to Welsh minnows Connah’s Quay Nomads has prevailed, partly due to the ripple effect of the result and also because there have been no other competitive games for the Rugby Park side prior to this afternoon’s curtain-raiser against Rangers.

But, for Kiltie, it is a case of trying to make the most now of a fresh start.

“I went out and played last season to prove I could play,” explained the winger.

“That’s what I’m hoping for – to have a good season here. The loan spell really helped me. It got me back playing regularly and showed I could do that.

“I did pretty well there and I came back full of confidence.

“I was back in for two weeks before the end of last season. Steve Clarke thought my loan spell had been good for me and he could see a difference in me from the start of the season from playing games.

“It was definitely beneficial going out to do that.”

Since then, however, there has been a significant shift at the club with Italian Alessio bringing in his own methods to Rugby Park.

“The style of training is different as he’s from a different culture,” said Kiltie.

“He’s worked at top clubs and will bring that experience to his training.

“I don’t know how to put it, apart from saying that it’s a lot different to what we did last season.

“He has come in with his own style and ideas. It’s just going to take time to put his stamp on it and he’s trying to put that across.

“We just have to listen to what he’s saying and try to take it on board. It’s just his own brand of training.”

And while there have been personnel who have moved on, Kiltie believes the culture at Kilmarnock is now of a team who expect to play their football in the top six.

He said: “I don’t think we see ourselves differently. It’s just more about belief.

“Last year we had that belief that we could go out and win most games, whereas before it wasn’t quite there when we were having quite a lot of defeats.

“It’s about keeping belief.”