Kilmarnock stunned Celtic to claim the League Cup in March whilst they finished a respectable seventh in the SPL.
This is a club though who will find the absence of Rangers from the top flight a real difficulty as the Ayrshire side are one of the least supported teams in the top flight.
It is to be hoped that the many of those who cheered them on to glory at Hampden will return to watch one of the most attractive sides in the SPL.
Manager Kenny Shiels is a fan of open, expansive football which can present problems when the team loses posession but in Paul Heffernan and Gary Harkins Killie have a proven strike force which will cause more damage this term.
Like Shiels Danny Lennon too is a devotee of the possession game though last year proved to be a tough one for St Mirren as they flirted with relegation.
Lennon will welcome the return of defender Darren McGregor from long term injury but it will be the form of Paul McGowan who will hold the key to how the Paisley side perform this season.
However even if the ex Celtic youth is to enjoy another productive year I really do not expect much from St Mirren.
Aberdeen, oh yes Aberdeen.
The memories of the Dons romping to glory both at home and abroad under Sir Alex Ferguson are getting more difficult to remember as each year passes.
It is incredible how far down in recent years they have fallen with manager after manager failing to make an impact and lead Aberdeen back to anything like respectability.
However there is a growing sense of optimism around Pittodrie thanks to the captures of imaginative signings Johnny Hayes and Niall McGinn.
Craig Brown also has the vast experience of Russell Anderson, Gavin Rae, Stephen Hughes and Gary Naysmith at his disposal so a much improved campaign is surely expected of them.
The city of Inverness has appeared to have won the over the heart of manager of Terry Butcher.
The much experienced former England captain though may find it a real challenge on his hands to lead Caley Thistle to anything other than another relegation struggle this season.
Once considered a difficult place to take points from a number of teams found wins much easier to secure last season at the Tulloch Stadium and I’m afraid I see no reason whatsoever for this to change.
Irishman Richie Foran is just about the only player of reasonable quality Butcher has to work with so this will probably be another long hard season for ICT.
I trust Butcher is fully stocked up on his much loved red wine to get him through the inevitable dark nights ahead!
And then there is Hibernian.
This is a club who appear to have been in transition as long as Methusalah walked the earth.
It is hard to make a positive case out of Pat Fenlon’s men doing anything this year as there is a distinct lack of any real quality in the squad.
The after effects of the Hampden humbling at the hands of Hearts may still be around as this once proud club stumbles into another season.
Frankly Hibs will need more than than the never say die attitude exemplified by skipper James McPake in last seasons final if they are to pull up any trees this season.
A club once renowned for producing future Scotland players is now reduced to aiming for SPL survival year in year out and I would not be surprised if their almost annual search for a new manager was to continue should Fenlon fail to produce again.
It really was unfair that Dundee manager Barry Smith had to wait until almost the eve of the new campaign to find out if he would be preparing for an SPL campaign but now its official the Dens gaffer must assemble a squad capable of staying in the top flight.
It’s not an easy task and one I fear that may be too much for him.
So there we have it, a new SPL season is ahead and for this writer I hope we see clubs such as Motherwell, Dundee United, Hearts and Aberdeen taking advantage of the loss of Rangers from the league but I fully expect Neil Lennon to be celebrating title number two come next May.
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.