Jim Jefferies welcomed fit-again Mark Burchill into the Kilmarnock squad for the visit of St Johnstone in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League on Saturday - but hopes necessity will not be the reason for handing the striker his competitive debut.

Burchill signed with the Ayrshire club in the summer but injured his Achilles tendon in a pre-season friendly against Burnley and eventually had to have surgery.

"Mark had his first 90 minutes in a closed-doors game and I will have him in the squad," Jefferies said. "Hopefully we can give him a run for the right reasons, when we have stuck the ball in the net and can afford to bring him on."

He added: "If you are looking for a goal then he has got to get a chance.

"Hopefully, though, if we do put him on the bench we won't need him."

Jefferies, however, will have to do without the services of striker Allan Russell who broke a hand in the same closed-doors game.

Russell has only made two substitute appearances this season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in March and the Killie boss bemoaned his latest piece of bad news.

"Allan will be out for the next couple of weeks," Jefferies said. "It is a blow for him and the club.

"He fought his way back from a serious knee injury and then this happens to him."