Candles still out for Birthday Boy

Sidelined midfielder Mark Kerr just wants to be back in action.

Mark Kerr celebrated his 30th birthday today, Friday, but the only present he is looking for is getting back into competitive action.  He feels that he is getting there in terms of returning to fitness but he is definitely out of the Motherwell game and with a three week gap before the next match at home to St Mirren, the former Aberdeen captain is hoping to be back in contention by then.

Mark trained on his own this week, hitting the ball and getting confidence back in his touch.  That certainly raised his spirits as he tries to be ready for the next game every time:-

"My injury has not healed the way I thought it would.  The ligaments are not fully healed yet, so it's just about time now and we have the two weeks break. I would have preferred to have played the last two games but it just wasn't possible."

Mark was injured in a challenge with Steven Davis in the home game against Rangers and so has missed out on matches against Inverness, Celtic and St Johnstone. The injury has turned out to be worse than he originally understood:-

"I have just had to take a step back. It was my left foot, ankle and up the shin.  I thought I could go through the pain barrier but the ligaments are not fully healed yet."

Injuries have affected three of the four signings made by Jim McIntyre in the January transfer window.  Having done so well in his first few games to pick up the injury has been a great disappointment to both the player and his Manager:- Mark commented:

"At least I know it's not me, it's as a result of the tackle and I have just been unfortunate. It just seems to be the history of the full season here that the boys have been one in and then one out injured.  If it had been a groin or a hamstring then I might have thought I was not pulling my weight but it was just a bad tackle."

Mark is very positive about being ready for the St Mirren game:-

"I will be back after the break. It has come at a good time for me as I would maybe not have made next week, but I will definitely be back for the next game all being well, assuming no set backs in training.

"I would have loved to have been available for the Inverness game but it was not to be as that was such a big game."

Typically the midfielder from Coatbridge is finding watching from the touchline to be unbelievably frustrating:-

"It's been a bit of a nightmare not being able to influence games." And now there is the added problem off the field concerning full payment of wages.

"The Club told us it's all they can do and say it's not a big problem in the short term and everybody needs to understand that. It's the situation we are in and we are no different from everyone else.  It's not nice to take but there are other people at the Club that it is affecting too and they are maybe not as fortunate as us, e.g. groundsmen, physio etc.

"I feel for them before myself. Everybody is in a different position, some people get hurt in the short term more than others. Hopefully we can all pull together and the Club can sort it out.  They have had a few bad turns as well with games being off and re-arranged games."