McCann aims to continue Kilmarnock's upward progress

"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.

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"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."

Pitch perfect?

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."