GARY LOCKE has begun work to shape Kilmarnock in his own image.

The Rugby Park club signed off a disappointing Premiership campaign with a 2-1 home defeat to Ross County, leaving them in 10th place, their safety only secured last week.

The home side took the lead through Greg Kiltie, but goals from striker Liam Boyce and substitute Rocco Quinn leapfrogged the Staggies over Killie into ninth place.

The result left Locke with only three wins in 14 games since moving up from assistant to manager after Allan Johnston departed in February.

Skipper Manuel Pascali and midfielder Alexei Eremenko have been offered one-year deals - the Italian defender has indicated that he will not sign it - but the Ayrshire club will soon make public the names of those who are not part of their plans as the former Killie defender starts to prepare for next season.

Locke said: "The hard work for me starts now. It has been frustrating because as a manager you get judged on the team and obviously I have inherited this team.

"I would like to make a few changes because it is blatantly obvious that we need to make a few changes and then hopefully you will get judged on the team you are trying to build.

"I have to try to put my own stamp on the team and the only way I can do that is by players moving out.

"It is certainly not the bit of the management that I enjoy, but it has to be done because we have struggled for the last two seasons and we have to make sure it doesn't happen next term.

"Most of the talks are done and it will be made public in the next 24 hours, I would imagine. And then it is up to me in the summer to try to get a few in.

"I am not kidding myself, I don't have loads of money to go and bring in eight or nine players as we are running a tight budget.

"There might be eight or nine go out, but we might only get to bring four or five in, so the squad will certainly be a bit smaller.

"But we have to try and add a bit better quality and, if we can do that, hopefully we can do that next season."

Boyce, who scored his seventh goal in seven games to take his league tally for the season to 10, is excited with his call-up to the Northern Ireland squad for the friendly against Qatar and then a European Championships qualifier at home to Romania - and at the Staggies' prospects for next season.

The former Cliftonville striker said: "There will be a lot of new players coming in because there are a lot of players leaving.

"This time we will have a lot longer to gel before the season starts and hopefully we can keep it going and try to get further up the league."