Kris Boyd has kept his side in the hunt almost single handed with 14 league goals in 23 appearances, but he will need to keep his impressive run going for another three games at least if Killie are to crawl over the halfway line.
The squad have three weeks to shake off the niggling injuries which have dogged their season but they should be confident of a positive end to the campaign. Realistically, they must collect six points from the next two games, at Dundee and at home to Inverness to set up an intriguing finale to the scheduled fixtures away to closest rivals Motherwell.
Jim Jefferies has gone on record to say that his young side have done well to even be in contention at this stage of the season, but a quick look at the league table shows how close his team have been to a much healthier solution. The "goals for" column is very good, but only Livingston have lost more games than Kilmarnock and it is here that the lack of experience in the squad has told.
The team is at it's best going forward, but have been unable to batten down the hatches and grind out results when the going gets tough. If Killie had managed to sneak a point from three or four matches which ultimately ended in defeat (last week against Aberdeen is a perfect example), then Europe would still be on the horizon, instead of scrapping for the final slot in with the big boys.
Caley Thistle's muscular side under Craig Brewster have mastered the art and their form since New Year has been nothing short of sensational and they have picked up points from Rangers, Hibs and Hearts where featherweight Killie have been rolled over. Without Gary Locke and a dominating centre half, Killie have had to rely on outstanding goalkeeping from both Graeme Smith and Alan Combe, to make sure that Boyd's goals count for something.
We may be heading for the final bend in the 2004/2005 season, but there's still plenty to play for.