'We need to stop conceding poor goals'

Stuart Kettlewell has focused on trying to prevent Kilmarnock conceding "poor goals" as he looks to arrest their worrying slump.

The Rugby Park side have suffered six straight defeats and shipped 25 goals - a joint high with bottom club Livingston - in 13 league games.

With out-of-form Dundee United the visitors to Ayrshire on Saturday, Kettlewell knows he needs wins to ease the pressure.

"It would be naive of me to say that we've not continued to focus on conceding goals, very simply," said the Killie boss.

"It's kind of a tale of two halves I suppose. The first seven games of the season and the last six games. Going from being a real goal threat and being pretty solid defensively as a team to what we've seen over the last six games has been a dramatic change, there's no doubt in that.

"It would be naive of me to say that we've not concentrated on those, what I was calling flash moments in games. We need to score more goals, we need to convert more chances, but fundamentally we need to stop conceding poor goals, we've worked really hard on that.

"We genuinely go out every single week to prepare and to try and win a game of football irrespective of who we're playing and where we're playing.

"I don't put any more emphasis on this one, but for me it's about acknowledging that you have to change your run of form, it's as simple as that.

"You have to make sure that you start posting points, you start posting victories and you become that bit more difficult to play against in stages of games, which will always give you a foundation to try and win a game.

"I don't doubt the players for a second, they 100% have my backing and confidence, and I feel that's reciprocated as well. It's important to say that.

"If we didn't have that personality and we didn't have that togetherness, then I don't think you'd see the reactions that we've had. The players are very much together and they're doing everything they possibly can to try and get a result."