Brad Lyons is not stranger to patiently biding his time at Kilmarnock. The 25-year-old midfielder, who joined the Ayrshire club in 2021 shortly after they had been relegated from the top flight, hasn’t always enjoyed as many first-team appearances as he would have liked and knows that when they come around, he has to take them.
The good news is that Lyons did precisely that last weekend when he was handed a rare start in the Killie midfield, and he rewarded his manager with a fine performance as Derek McInnes’ men advanced to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.
The midfielder – who counts Coleraine, Blackburn Rovers and St Mirren amongst his former clubs – certainly hopes he has given his manager plenty of food for thought.
“It was brilliant to be back in,” Lyons said. “That is why I have stayed fit and focused for all season.
“There are a lot of good players in my position and they have shown that this season. The confidence you get from the manager believing in you is huge and hopefully I can repay him.
“It has been frustrating but I can't complain when the likes of Alan Power, Rory Mckenzie, Blair Alston and Liam Donnelly are playing in front of me.
“It is about keeping your head and the gaffer always reiterated my chance would come. His door was always open. Now it is about looking forward.
“When the gaffer first came in I had a hamstring problem which was frustrating.
“Once I was fit I played the last seven or eight games in the run-in. When you are not in the team you have to stay level-headed and be patient.”
It should come as no surprise that Lyons takes a thoughtful approach to his playing career. Having previously entered further education while playing for Coleraine in his native Northern Ireland, the midfielder is now in the process of completing a degree at the Open University whilst turning out for Killie – thus future-proofing himself in case his football career doesn’t pan out as planned.
“When I signed for Blackburn I was 21 and I had completed three years of university,” he recalled. “I took a break from it and last year I joined the Open University to finish off my degree.
“Along with my football, I am trying to complete my degree at the same time. Calum Waters done the same degree in sports fitness and coaching as well. Thankfully, he has been helping me. He has sent me a few bits of his work and has really helped me out.
“That is a wee example of how close we are in the changing room. All the boys help each other and we spend a lot of time together outside of football as well as inside football.
“Football has its ups and downs and you never know how long or how short your career could be. One wee injury could tip you over the edge and end your career.
“You always have to have back-up. I had three years of university complete so I didn’t want that to go to waste. I was at Jordanstown, the University of Ulster.”
Many of the players that comprise McInnes’ squad will be fighting for their futures between now and the end of the campaign. The majority are out of contract at the end of the season – including Lyons – but the 25-year-old insists he and his team-mates are fully focused on the task at hand: keeping Killie in the top flight.
Three points at Easter Road this afternoon would certainly help in that regard and Lyons is confident that the players will be suitably rewarded if they can stave off relegation.
He added: “I would say that results and performances will look after the rest. What we are all focused on, especially the players and I, is getting results and keeping Kilmarnock in the Premiership because that is where we belong. If we do that then hopefully the board and the gaffer can look after the players.”
