Resident statto @splstats looks at some of the numbers from the weekend, focusing on Killie, Aberdeen, QOS, Ayr and Annan.
5 – Kilmarnock climbed to eighth in the Ladbrokes Premiership after thumping Partick Thistle 5-1 at Rugby Park. It was the first time Killie had scored five goals in a league fixture since December 2006 when they beat Dunfermline Athletic 5-1 thanks to goals from Paul Di Giacomo (2), Colin Nish (2) and Gordon Greer. Killie’s 11-year wait to score five league goals was the longest active drought across the SPFL – that unwanted honour now passes to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who last netted five or more league goals in November 2011, when they beat Killie 6-3 at Rugby Park. Kris Boyd’s double on Saturday took him to 106 top-flight goals, placing third on Killie’s all-time list, behind Willie Culley (149) and Mattha Smith (109).
8 – Aberdeen are five points behind Ladbrokes Premiership leaders Celtic after beating Dundee 1-0 at Dens Park on Friday night. Derek McInnes’ side have now recorded eight consecutive wins against the Dark Blues, a run which stretches back to August 2015. In that period they have scored 21 times and have conceded just twice. The Dons are unbeaten in their last 17 league matches against Dundee; their last defeat was in December 2004 when Neil Barrett scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory. The Dons have now won 11 of their last 14 away league matches, with their only defeat coming against Rangers at Ibrox recently.
5 – Queen of the South climbed to third in the Ladbrokes Championship after beating Dunfermline Athletic 5-2 at East End Park. Veteran striker Stephen Dobbie netted a hat-trick within the final 17 minutes of the match, taking his tally for the season to 18 goals in all competitions. Saturday’s win was the first time Queens had scored five goals at East End Park – their previous biggest win was a 4-1 success in September 2009. Gary Naysmith’s side are now unbeaten in five Championship away matches, and their only away defeats this season came against the top two of Dundee United and St Mirren.
8 – Ayr United recorded a dramatic 3-2 victory over Queen’s Park to extend their lead at the top of Ladbrokes League 1 to five points. The Honest Men have now recorded eight consecutive victories in all competitions, which is their best winning run in over 30 years. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ by Rick Astley was UK No 1 during Ayr’s last eight-match winning streak from September-October 1987. Ian McCall’s side are just four wins short of equalling Ayr’s club record of 12, which was set in 1936/37.
1 – Annan Athletic moved to within a point of the Ladbrokes League 2 promotion play-off places thanks to a 3-1 victory over Stenhousemuir at Ochilview. It was the Galabankies’ first ever win over the Warriors in a competitive fixture – in 10 previous meetings Stenhousemuir had recorded five wins and there were five draws. Blair Henderson was Annan’s hero, scoring three goals in the final 21 minutes to quadruple his goal tally for the season. It was the second hat-trick of the forward’s career – he also notched three times for Stirling Albion against Elgin City in last season’s Betfred Cup.
