GARY Dicker reckons Kilmarnock are lucky to have a manager like Steve Clarke at the helm and everyone connected with the club should just enjoy the ride. The veteran former West Brom and Reading manager - also an assistant at some of the biggest clubs in Britain - has had an instant impact on the Rugby Park side, losing just two of his first 11 matches in charge and winning four of his last five. Tonight's visit to Hamilton Accies has the potential to be awkward but Killie are one of Scotland's form teams and the club's Irish midfielder reckons their is an alchemy about things at the Ayrshire club right now which is rare.

“From day one, the day he [Clarke] walked in, I’ve only ever really had that feeling at my previous clubs once when Gus Poyet came into Brighton," said Dicker. "He took over when we were struggling, so it was similar. He steadied the ship the first four months and we won the league the year after, so you can never underestimate the role of a manager at a club. You just get a feeling in football. Someone comes in and gives everyone a lift. It’s not complicated. As players, we know our roles and what the manager expects.

“That is what being a good manager is about and I say to both the young lads and even some of the older lads that we are so lucky to have a manager like this," he added. "The proof is on the pitch and we are delivering results. But football changes quick. Everyone knows that and no-one is getting carried away. We’re on a good run, probably the best run since I’ve been here, but we have two games left before the break and it’s about getting more points."

Dicker also lavished praise on his midfield colleague Youssouf Mulumbu, who showed glimpses of his Barclays Premier League class in the 2-1 victory against Rangers. “Youssouf is brilliant - you don’t play in the Premier League and have the career that he has had without being good," said Dicker. "You saw it straight away. It gave everyone a lift when he signed. You think: Phew, that is the standard of player we are attracting now. It’s a massive coup getting the manager and players like Youssouf. We laugh when he says he isn’t fit yet. You think, 'what’ll you be like when you are fit, mate?'"