THEY say tat if you are happy at your work then half the battle is won.

The Rugby Park dressing room, at the moment, is filled with people whose professional lives could not be going any better.

It’s been years since things have been so good at Kilmarnock. Fans probably need to go back to 1997 and the Scottish Cup win – 22 years ago which is a thought – to recall a time it was so enjoyable supporting their team.

A few years back, the then Kilmarnock captain Stevie Smith said that there had been a black loud having over the club in all the years he had been there. He wasn’t wrong. Huge debts, boardroom chaos and flirting with relegation does not make for a happy working environment.

And now? Kilmarnock are still in the Scottish Cup, the could finish third in the league, they play great football, have a terrific manager in the brilliant Steve Clarke, and as experienced defender Scott says, nobody wants to leave when things are going so well.

“It’s definitely a big few months for me,” admitted the 32-year-old whose contract is running down. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here at the club and have enjoyed being part of everything, both on and off the field.

“I really feel part of the team and I’d like to continue on this journey that Kilmarnock are on right now.

“It’s something that everybody wants to stay and be part of because you can see we’re building something here at Kilmarnock. If the gaffer wants me to stay and be part of it, that would be amazing.

"It’s definitely one of the best dressing rooms I have been in. It’s a really close-knit bunch of boys and I think you can see that on the pitch. We obviously have quality as well. But we have a great spirit in the dressing room and I think that has taken us to where we are at the moment.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the club and all the people involved with it. They’ve been really good to me on and off the field. There’s a real feelgood factor around the place. We all want to be part of that.”

Boyd played almost 300 games for Ross County, starting when the Highland club were in what is now League Two.

He progressed through the league all the way to Hampden in 2016 when County on the League Cup. The centre-half, outstanding this season, has the same feeling now as he did when the Dingwall side began to make a name for itself.

“Back at my old club, you could sense that you were going somewhere when things were going well for us,” said Boyd. “That’s the feeling that we have here now. We’re not getting carried away and we know there’s still a long way to go, but we’re enjoying it.

“It’s a nice pressure to have. When you’re at the opposite end of the table, you’re fighting for your life to stay in the league. So, it’s a different type of pressure to have when you’re up there challenging. The players are relishing it.

“Since we came back from the winter break, we’ve shown that we’re ready to go for the second half of the season.”

Kilmarnock are at Ibrox next midweek for a Scottish Cup replay and silverware is on the mind of Boyd.

“Winning a cup is definitely something we’d like to achieve,” he said. “We’ve obviously been doing really well under the gaffer in the league and it would be great if we could have a good cup run as well.

“We know how hard it’ll be against Rangers because they’re a very good side. But there’s no reason why we can’t be positive and look to progress into the next round.

"A good cup run is probably the only thing we haven’t done yet under the gaffer, so it’s a good time to change that.”