The centre-back earned praise from his gaffer as his return helped spark a run of positive results
Derek McInnes reckons it’s no coincidence that Kilmarnock’s results have improved since the return of Stuart Findlay.
The 29-year-old defender had missed nearly five months due to an nakle injury sustained in a defeat away to Dundee in early November.
After making a brief substitute appearance, Findlay was recalled to the starting line-up for last month’s win over Motherwell.
And it’s been four wins in five games since – with the only defeat being a predictable one away to Celtic.
The one-time Scotland international produced another impressive display in win over Dundee on Saturday, with McInnes insisting the defender makes everyone around him a better player.
READ MORE: Kilmarnock secure top flight status with win over Dundee
He said: “There’s no doubt having Stuart Findlay back has been massive for us. He doesn’t always catch the eye, and he’s not exactly dribbling out and making chances and all the rest of it, but he’s such a calming influence.
“That ability for a centre-half to make people round about them better is a dying art, because so many boys now just want to play their own game and look after themselves, but he does it in such a quiet effective way.”
He added: “It was Robbie Deas’ best performance of the season, maybe the best performance in a Killie shirt, he was outstanding.
“Stuart makes him better, he makes (Corrie) Ndaba better, he makes (Lewis) Mayo better. And you can’t buy that. That is worth so much.”
McInnes admitted after the match that he was aware of speculation linking him with the Hearts job – insisting there had been no contact between the clubs at that point.
And he said he was determined to ensure everyone’s full focus was on picking up the win and securing their top flight status for a further season.
He said: “There’s no doubt the question was asked of us. The beauty I’ve got is that I’ve worked with these boys for two, some of them three, years so you know what’s in the building.
“At this stage of the season, winning games isn’t just about being a good player, you’ve got to make sure you deal with situations and remain calm.
“It’s a lot of tension and anxiety, that’s the nature of the league, but we’ve stayed calm and trusted ourselves.
“We’ve produced the type of form that we always knew we were capable of and from the turn of the year, we’d be sitting in fifth place.”
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