Kilmarnock midfielder Tom Lowery has acknowledged the need for improvement as his team prepares to face Celtic on Sunday. The Ayrshire club suffered a 4-3 defeat against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park in their opening Scottish Premiership match, prompting criticism from manager Neil McCann.

Lowery described the performance as "poor" and conceded the team did not deserve any points from the game. He said the loss was not due to St Johnstone catching them off guard, but rather Kilmarnock's own shortcomings on the pitch. “We just weren’t good enough,” he stated, adding that the players must quickly regroup and work harder in the coming week.

Despite the initial setback, Lowery emphasized confidence within the squad ahead of the challenging matchup against reigning champions Celtic. “We believe we have got enough in the dressing room to get a result,” he said, highlighting the importance of self-belief as they prepare for the high-profile fixture at Rugby Park.

Kilmarnock concluded the previous season strongly after spending much of the campaign near the relegation zone. They scored 13 goals over four consecutive wins to secure their Premiership status, and subsequently topped their group in the Premier Sports Cup without conceding a goal.

Lowery urged that one disappointing performance should not derail their progress moving forward. He acknowledged that conceding two second-half goals from set-pieces was a key factor in their defeat, describing it as an area requiring immediate attention. “It is really disappointing to score three goals away from home, but to concede four,” he said.

The midfielder remains optimistic about Kilmarnock’s prospects this season, affirming that their ambitions remain intact despite the early loss. The club now turns its focus to preparing for the visit of Celtic, aiming to reverse their fortunes and build on last season’s positive finish.