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Gary Locke hopes Lee Miller's goals can push Kilmarnock

Image: Gary Locke: Kilmarnock are in eighth place in the table

Kilmarnock boss Gary Locke hopes Lee Miller can fire his side into the Scottish Premiership top six after the striker broke his 11-month goal drought in the 1-0 win over St Mirren at Rugby Park.

The ex-Hearts and Aberdeen striker came off the bench to fire home the winner three minutes from time, his first since netting for former side Carlisle in a 4-1 defeat to Peterborough last April.

With his side now just three points off the top half of the table, Locke is praying Miller will not have to wait so long for his next.

He said: "We have given ourselves a better chance of making the top six by winning today. We won't get carried away but if we maintain our current form we will give ourselves a chance.

"I'm delighted for Lee. It's been a frustrating spell since he came here in the summer. He's had one or two injuries and never really had a run of games.

"Any striker who comes to a new club wants to hit the ground running and score a few goals.

"But Lee has been unfortunate with those injuries. I know from personal experience that if you get injured and don't get a run of games it can be difficult.

“It was a really good finish from him as well. I'm so pleased for Lee.”

Meanwhile, Saints manager Gary Teale said his side did not deserve to come away with nothing after creating the better chances.

Winger James Dayton rattled his old team's crossbar with a volley, while Alan Gow had a tap-in chalked off for offside midway through the second period.

Teale said: "That defeat is extremely difficult to take because I thought the boys were excellent.

 "Looking at the performance over the piece, there is no way we deserve to come away with nothing.

"With the chances we created I felt we deserved to take all three points.

"But with the position we are in the league, if you don't score when the opportunities come along, you are always liable to get punished.”

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