Jeffries Still Upbeat About Scotland And Killie

Last updated : 30 March 2007 By Ed_ScottishFitba

Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies watched Scotland lose to Italy in Bari but still of the opinion that we have "a great chance" of qualifying for EURO2008. With 12 points from a possible 18 in Group B at the halfway stage of the qualification campaign, Jefferies is confident that Scotland can still qualify for their first major tournament in a decade. He said: "I think Scotland have a great chance of qualifying. There is a great spirit and determination among the players. We know France, Italy and Ukraine are tough nuts and nobody fancied us so people who are involved deserve credit for getting Scotland to where they are. After getting the win against Georgia, anything in Bari was going to be a bonus. But I thought they played extremely well against Italy. Alex was very positive. He wasn't happy with one or two daft free-kicks about the box because you are asking for trouble with the quality of delivery they have and Toni is a big centre-forward to tie down. But Scotland's build-up play was okay and we had one or two decent chances. So I don't think anybody should be too downbeat about the performance. Scotland will look at the bigger picture and they are still very much in the hunt."

On the domestic front, Kilmarnock host Aberdeen at Rugby Park on Saturday in their first game since losing the CIS Insurance Cup final at Hampden. Jefferies believes the Ayrshire club, who have already secured a top-six spot, have "
nothing to be ashamed about" concerning their Hampden experience. He said: "The mood is fine. We had the players in earlier than we had planned because we had to get them going again. They got the final defeat out of their system last week and they have been buzzing this week. But we didn't punish the team, I couldn't do that. This team have made the top six with three games to go. We also made a major cup final without five or six players who might have played in the final which would have given us a better chance. So they have nothing to be ashamed about. If people would have said to me before the season started that we would have made the top six with three games to go and contest a major cup final - in which we would have been beaten 5-1 by the way - I would have said, 'Right, we will take that'." Jefferies revealed that midfielder Allan Johnston is unlikely to play again this season due to a groin complaint. He said: "Alan Combe will miss the game with a calf injury and there's a good chance that Allan Johnston will miss the game because he goes in for an operation on his groin on Monday."

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