Kilmarnock’s Recent Performance
Kilmarnock have a mixed record when it comes to starting their top-flight campaigns. In their last 15 seasons, they've only managed to secure victory in two out of these matches, with eight losses and five draws. Their most recent win came against Rangers in the 2023-24 season, where they triumphed 1-0. A notable win was also recorded back in 2018-19 when Kilmarnock beat St Johnstone 2-0.
St Johnstone’s Opening Day Blues
St Johnstone has struggled to start the season on a winning note over the past few years. Since 2017-18, they've been winless in their opening day games for seven consecutive seasons, with five of those matches ending in defeat and two in draws. The last time St Johnstone managed to secure an opening-day victory was against Kilmarnock in 2017-18.
Additionally, the stats reveal that since 2015-16, only one newly promoted team has failed to win on their first day of play. Livingston is the sole side to have lost, going down 3-1 away from home against Celtic in 2018-19. Another interesting trend is Kilmarnock's record against newly promoted teams; they've drawn three out of the last four occasions where this has happened: a 0-0 draw with Dundee in 2012-13, another 1-1 stalemate with Dundee in 2014-15, and a 2-2 tie against Livingston in 2025-26.
St Johnstone's recent form against Kilmarnock has been particularly poor. In their last six meetings, they've lost four games to the Killie side, with only two victories. The last time St Johnstone suffered a three-game losing streak against Kilmarnock was in August 2018, and all of these losses occurred on opening day.
These statistics paint a picture of Kilmarnock's resilience when facing newly promoted teams and highlight the challenges faced by St Johnstone at the start of their seasons.
