Kilmarnock 3-0 Partick Thistle: Magic Eremenko pulls tricks out of bag for his strikers

Rugby Park was proof that mavericks still have a place in modern football.

Kilmarnock recorded their third home win in a row for the first time in five years.

You can be sure, however, the home fans didn’t go home raving about a statistical achievement.

Instead, they’ll have been purring about the weird and wonderful world of Alexei Eremenko.

The Killie fans have been patiently waiting for the mercurial midfielder to display his amazing talent since he pitched up for a second spell in Ayrshire last season.

There are now real signs of the Finn getting back to his very best.

Yesterday he displayed sublime flicks, twists and turns that brought a burst of colour to a game in which the teams threatened to cancel one another out.

Eremenko still isn’t fully fit and tends to waddle around the pitch, occasionally breaking into a trot.

If he ever manages to get fighting fit then it’s frightening how good he could be.

Both Old Firm teams had shown interest in him during his first spell in Scotland but neither decided to take a gamble when his contract expired.

The 31-year-old had shown flashes of his brilliance against St Johnstone in the League Cup in midweek.

It wasn’t enough to prevent defeat and he ended up collecting a red card. It went a lot better on this occasion.

Cutting defences open and creating chances is the hardest thing to do and that makes an on-song Eremenko worth his considerable weight in gold.

Even when he isn’t directly influencing the play, he has an influence on players around him.

Midfielders find the courage to copy his one-touch passing and strikers show more conviction in their runs.

Kilmarnock’s new artificial pitch isn’t universally popular. There do not seem to be any substantial objections to the surface, just a feeling that top-flight football should be played on grass.

The move to plastic does guarantee ball players like Eremenko and Chris Johnston will get a level, consistent platform on which to perform. It will be interesting to see how that benefits Kilmarnock over the winter.

They are now sitting comfortably in fifth place and looking like a club making significant progress on and off the park.

Tope Obadeyi looks a shrewd signing by Allan Johnston. He scored two goals and appears to be growing in confidence.

The Englishman’s first came shortly after Craig Samson had denied Steven Lawless and Kris Doolan with a fine double save.

Ross Barbour delivered a fabulous cross from the right and Obadeyi nodded home.

Manuel Pascali headed Killie’s second when he ran forward and attacked a beautifully flighted Eremenko corner.

The goal took the wind from Thistle’s sails and allowed Kilmarnock to dominate the rest of the match.

Eremenko created the third goal he conjured up a delicious reverse pass that put Obadeyi through on goal. The striker delivered a finish worthy of the pass and was grinning from ear to ear when he reflected on the service coming from his teammate.

He said: “My game is about getting one against one with defenders and I know that Alexei will find me when I get in those positions.

“People say he has eyes in the back of his head because of the way he finds passes.

“We know we’re always going to get chances when he’s playing.

“I think we have a great blend of experience of youth and experience at the club and top six is the aim, maybe more.”