The goalscorer in the Premiership is a breed that’s hard to find and, sometimes, even harder to keep. They’re a blessing when you have them and have proven a curse when you have to replace them.
That, again, is Boyd’s appeal. At nearly 35 he’s not beating away offers, not that he wants to go anywhere else. He’s content. He’s got another season left in him, maybe two, and he’s all Killie’s.
Others have not been so fortunate. Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s demise was instructive. Third in the top flight in 2012-13, then fifth the following season and then third again the season after, they had Billy Mckay banging in the goals at an average of 17 per season.
When Mckay left for Wigan Athletic, Inverness slipped to seventh. The season after, they were relegated. Other important players leaving would have contributed, of course, but this is one of a number of examples of the flip side of finding a goalscorer. When they exit, they leave behind a giant, sometimes fatal, chasm.
