Gently does it for Big Kev

"I don't want the Dunfermline fans to see me as just coming in, sitting there picking up a wage and not doing a lot. I want to prove that I am good enough to be here ...

Kevin Rutkiewicz hopes to be back in match action next month. Following his hip injury he intends to take "baby steps" back. He did some light jogging today (Tuesday) and took the Under 19s for a light training session in the afternoon. How he is progressing with his rehab was explained exclusively to the website:-

"Initially we tried to keep off things and get through the injury but I was playing on with the injury in the East Fife game and in the Fife Cup game against Raith. It came to a head when I went back about it and we got it scanned. That revealed quite a large tear in the hip area. It was bad news but good news that we now know what it is.

"I was disappointed to discover that it is as severe as it was but these things happen and it is certainly not a serious injury. Hopefully I will be back in the mix in October to give the gaffer some selection headaches."

The injury occurred two days after the friendly against Huddersfield Town. Initially Kevin thought the problem might have been coming from his back or pelvis and he was excused training with the plan just to keep on running until it recovered.

"Maybe I should have reined it back and I might have been fit to play at the minute. It is just one of those things; not serious just frustrating."

Kevin finds it even more frustrating given that his club are back in the SPL. He could accept that if he had not played well that he might have been out of the team but lack of match action comes with even greater concerns for the 31 year old central defender:-

"I have a year's contract here and really need to hit the ground running now. I have not got the luxury now of having two or three bad games over the course of 25 or 26 games. I have to prove to the gaffer, the Chairman and the fans that this is a blip and not a regular thing. I have had my fair share of injuries but I went three years without anything and had a real bit of bad luck in the last couple of seasons.

"The bigger picture is a bit of a worry for me but obviously my first concern is just to get myself fit and back into the selection process. I want to put pressure on the boys who have the jerseys at the minute and from there I want to kick on and earn myself a new contract.

"I have enjoyed my time here at Dunfermline and don't want it to end prematurely due to circumstances outwith what we are judged on."

Over the last international weekend the 70mm tear was identified and since then he has given the injury a chance to heal. Baths and hot water bottles were the prescription until light jogging was introduced to his rehabilitation programme.

"This time it is not going to be pushed; it is going to baby steps as opposed to missing out a couple and going for the prize. I will really take my time. I have given myself until October so I have another ten days."

Kevin's frustration is compounded by the fact that he is doing everything within his powers to get back.

"I don't want the Dunfermline fans to see me as just coming in, sitting there picking up a wage and not doing a lot. I want to prove that I am good enough to be here, pick up from where I left off and finish the season strongly."

Watching from the sidelines is painful for every injured pro and Kevin is no different from any other:-

"I jump up and down when we score but that's as happy as you will see me. I still shout instructions at corners and throw ins - it is horrible. Particularly at the minute, we are losing goals and so I want to get in and help out. Not that I am any better than the boys in there but you want to pitch in with them.

"It is so frustrating watching; it has been good because the games have been so exciting. They have been entertaining but even that has been wearing me down a bit. I am not a good spectator."

The honeymoon is over observed the Glaswegian and the team is now at a stage where they need to show that they have learned fast as both individuals and a team:-

"We took our plaudits at the start of the season when we carried a wee bit luck. It was a great start but that's been nipped in the bud and the harsh reality of the Premier League has kicked in. We can look back on games that we maybe should have taken more out of but we weren't ruthless enough at either end, front and back.

"This is a step up and when you look at the games there's not a big difference but we are not winning whereas last year would have been. We won the majority of our games last season but now we are at a stage where we are fighting for every point that we can get. At times we have looked a bit naive on the park, we set up during the week to do certain things and we are doing them with aplomb but there are wee mistakes."

Kevin stressed how nobody has a divine right to win promotion to the Premier League and expect to sweep the opposition aside:-

"It is going to be tough and we all knew that so we need to learn, minimise our mistakes and then we will be alright."

Sitting on the sidelines has distilled Kevin belief that the game in Scotland needs change and was willing to endorse the experiment that starts with the Pars unpopular trip to Aberdeen next week:-

"Let's give the Friday night game a chance. I am not a big fan of early kick offs but they have been tried and tested now for a while. We have to do it for TV - it is for money - but let's give Friday night a go. It was big in England for a number of years and really successful, so I wouldn't want to discard it before we give it a chance. What I would say is that they could have given us more time to deal with it, it wasn't ideal. Timing wasn't perfect and could have been announced a bit earlier. I feel more sorry for the fans than I do for the players because we are paid to play whenever."

Kevin Rutkiewicz is involved in the The Scottish Premier League Trust to deliver 'Music Box' - a vibrant community music project.

Young people across Scotland will be given the chance to take part in music making at their local SPL football club free of charge, thanks to a partnership between all Scottish Premier League football clubs and Creative Scotland's Youth Music Initiative. There will be a wealth of opportunities for young people to learn about the music industry, make their own recordings and take part in performance events.

Music and football have always had a close relationship. Young people not only define themselves by their choice of football team, but their lifestyles and friendships are also formed through their musical choices. Music matters in shaping our community and cultural identities. Football can lead to lifetime friendships, indeed a number of very successful Scottish bands have grown out of friendships made on the terraces.

The powerful draw of professional football clubs creates a unique opportunity for young people to engage with high quality learning experiences through Music Box. It creates access opportunities for young people who would not normally participate in music making activities. In return, music is a great equaliser. It transcends perceived barriers of community or sporting allegiances.

Music Box will kick off in the October school holiday with a series of taster sessions for young people to come and try a range of music making from DJing to drumming or strumming a guitar. These sessions will be followed by a weekly (30 weeks) music club where young people can form bands, write their own songs and compose their own tunes in whatever style of music they're interested in playing. Each club will hold a sharing event where the budding musical talent of the future can perform to their peers, family and friends.

The launch at Hampden was attended by Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland; Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, and Billy Singh, General Manager, Scottish Premier League Trust.

There were also be performances by a number of Scottish musicians, including Stanley Odd, Bigg Taj and Yuptae, who have been previously supported by the Youth Music Initiative to record a demo. Also playing at the event were Kevin Rutkiewicz, Dunfermline Athletic player and musician, who recently supported Midge Ure on tour.

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, said: "Music Box is an innovative collaboration, funded by our Youth Music Initiative, which will support, inspire and cultivate budding musicians of the future. The powerful draw of Scotland's 12 SPL clubs will entice young people from communities across Scotland to get creative and learn new skills, improving their confidence and providing opportunities which will make a real difference to their lives."

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive Creative Scotland, said: "Music Box is an enormously exciting programme, that combines the credibility that professional football clubs have in our communities with the magnetic draw of music and its ability to empower and transform young people's lives. Music Box will create new opportunities for young people to take part in free, weekly creative music making."

Billy Singh, General Manager SPL Trust, said: "This is a great initiative developed by the SPL Clubs and supported by Creative Scotland. We are beginning to see how football clubs can be a focal point within local communities and make a real difference to people's lives."

The Youth Music Initiative is driven by the ethos of putting music at the heart of young people's lives and, because of the Youth Music Initiative, children now have access to one year's free music tuition by the time they reach Primary 6, as well as more out of school hours participation.

For more information log on to www.splmusicbox.com