McCann aims to continue Kilmarnock's upward progress

The Rugby Park side travel to St Johnstone for their Scottish Premiership season opener on Sunday, live on Sky Sports; all six matches across the opening weekend of the season will be live on Sky Sports for the first time

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>"If you are standing still, you're effectively going backwards."

>Progress is key for Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann as he looks to the top six rather than a season of relegation fear.

>The Rugby Park side were 11th when he was appointed in January, having lost more than half of their league matches, before a run of wins towards the end of the season saw them avoid the relegation play-offs.

>"The feeling is that there's a lot of positivity around the club in terms of their thoughts for the season, in particular because of how well we finished," he told Sky Sports News.

>"But that's in the past and it's up to myself, Billy [Dodds] and the rest of the staff to really build a squad that can carry that on.

>"If you are standing still, you're effectively going backwards. So we need to definitely try and move ourselves forward.

>"We don't want to be in a position we were in last January when I took over. We want to be really positive."

>Killie head to McDiarmid Park on Sunday for their Premiership opener against newly-promoted St Johnstone, live on Sky Sports, and McCann is expecting a test.

>"Everybody maybe thinks it might be an easier start because it's St Johnstone and they have just come up from the Championship.

>"But I think Simo [Valakari] has a real solid way of playing.

>"Like every manager, we're probably not quite at full tilt yet. Not at the top gears and we'll continue to strive to get there.

>"But I just think the positivity of last year is a good thing to build on."

>Kilmarnock have ripped up the artificial pitch at Rugby Park, returning to grass for the first time since 2014.

>It is after top-flight clubs voted to ban plastic pitches from the start of the 2026/27 campaign, although Falkirk have been given an additional season before replacing their playing surface.

>"The beauty about our pitch for this season is it's laid on top of what was the astroturf last year, so it's completely flat," McCann added.

>"Four weeks ago, five weeks ago, that was just a sandpit. I'm told by the groundsmen that in the next week or so it's going to really thicken up and it'll be a surface that will rival any in the country.

>"I know we came in last year and it was really positive winning six out of the eight here at home, it became a bit of a fortress for us.

>"But I think it's going to help us with the grass pitch.

>"If I'm honest, I think every top league should have the grass pitches.

>"This will be one of the finest in the country and hopefully that can benefit how we want to play."