Kilmarnock players are embroiled in a dispute with the club over a code of conduct which one squad member has told Press Association Sport is "unacceptable."

The prelude to Killie's 2-0 home defeat to Dundee United was the revelation that the players had met with union representatives about the club wanting them to sign a document which could lead to severe financial reprisals for yellow and red cards.

Press Association Sport spoke to one player who felt that the intended fines of £500 were "unacceptable, some players don't get much more than that as a weekly wage."

After watching Damian Casalinuovo's double give United victory, Kilmarnock boss Jim Jefferies said: "The players are not unhappy.

"They understand that at any football club there does have to be a system for dissent or reckless challenges, quite rightly, because the club got fined last year and a lot of the bookings were for those reasons.

"That is standard practise at any football club but because there are one or two things in there - which I am not prepared to disclose - that they are not happy about, they are not prepared to sign so we are waiting to see what the union says.

"I wasn't privy to that meeting so I don't know what was discussed but we will wait and see what comes of it."

Press Association Sport has been told that the players are unhappy with the levels of the proposed fines and the indiscriminate way in which they are to be implemented.

No Kilmarnock players were booked against United but although Jefferies was pleased with his side's performance, once again he mourned the lack of firepower.

"I don't think anyone was short-changed," he said. "We beat St Johnstone here in our last game and I thought we were 10 times better today.

"United scored the goals, that was the difference. I thought we were terrific in open play, we certainly had the chances to score but unfortunately we didn't put the ball in the net.

"I can't fault the players for effort but we need players to step up and take the pressure off Kevin Kyle. We are finding it hard to do that.

"We can set out the team right, which we did today, but you can't put the ball in the net for them.

"We do enough shooting and finishing in training but when it comes to the Saturday it isn't happening and that is the only criticism I can level at the players."

Casalinuovo put the Taysiders ahead from the spot in the 21st minute after Killie left-back Garry Hay had tripped Jennison Myrie-Williams.

The Argentinian was handed his second goal on a plate in the 57th minute when he was set up by Myrie-Williams.

However, United boss Craig Levein was just as pleased with his goalkeeper Nicky Weaver, who had an outstanding game.

He said: "It is hard to say what I was most pleased with. I thought it was a good team performance and I could go through the whole team, I thought they excelled.

"I thought our two central defenders handled Kevin Kyle well and when they didn't, Nicky was there. I counted three really good saves from him.

"He has signed a short-term deal until January. In all honesty, he could have earned five times as much elsewhere.

"But what he wanted to do was put himself in the shop window, to get himself back in the Premier League.

"We will not be able to afford to keep him but the fact that he has come to us, in this day and age where people only bother about the instant buck, says a lot for him.

"I have worked with top-class goalkeepers and he is certainly one of those.

"In January I have Dusan Pernis coming in from Slovakia. I signed him before Nicky came on the radar so he will have to be good."