Episode 28: Kenny Shiels

Kenny Shiels will forever be associated with one of the most special of moments in Kilmarnock Football Club’s history: in 2012, he led the club to its fifth and still most recent trophy.

The League Cup success should not have come as a surprise considering the manager’s track record of surprising the favourites on several occasions in his career in Northern Ireland.

It was an inauspicious start to life in Ayrshire. Coming into the club as Mixu Paatelainen’s assistant, surgery determined that he would set up his first training session on crutches. Things improved quickly though, and 2010/11 became memorable for a revolution in playing squad and footballing philosophy. And when Mixu left for the Finland national team job, Killie had a ready-made replacement with more than ten years of managerial experience.

And the next chapter began; one which would lead, in 2022, to his induction into the club’s Hall of Fame.