During our recent bleak midwinter, one footballer was eagerly rubbing his hands every time games were cancelled.
Martin Hardie had battled back from a career-threatening knee operation he sustained while a St Johnstone player only to pick up another injury while on loan at Partick Thistle, which ruled him out for much of December and eventually led to Saints releasing him.
Now, he is making up for lost time at title-chasing Dunfermline and relishing the two-game-a-week schedule caused by all those winter call-offs.
“I always had self-belief that I would come back,” said Hardie. “I am a strong-willed character, and even when I was going through my cruciate rehab, nothing was going to hold me back. I was so determined to get fit and play again.
“The games are coming thick and fast just now because of all the rearranged fixtures from the bad weather in December, but it is something I am enjoying because I did not play a lot in 2010.
“To be honest, at the time I was rubbing my hands because all these games were getting cancelled and I was not fit because I had picked up a knee knock while on loan at Partick.
“If that hadn’t happened, then I might still be at St Johnstone,” he admitted. “At the time, I was on the verge of being called back to Perth because they had a few injuries, but I picked up a cracked kneecap which spelled the end of my time at Saints.
“I then started training at Queen of the South for a few days through my friendship with Kenny Brannigan, but at the start of February, when Dunfermline boss Jim McIntyre phoned me and asked me to come into training, I was delighted.SPL”Hopefully, I can help the club go all the way back to the SPL.”
Hardie certainly knows what it takes to win promotion out of the first division, having done it twice already with Partick and two years ago with Saints.
He admits that with just seven games left until the end of the campaign, it is all about results and nothing to do with playing pretty football.
“When you get into the last quarter of the season, you need to have a firm belief within your team that you are not going to slip up,” he added.
“It is all about picking up points and being hard to beat as much as fans may want to see their team play attractive football, you just have to grind out results.
“Under Derek McInnes at St Johnstone, we went on a 12-game unbeaten run to win the league. I think we drew seven and won five and I remember being at Queen of the South and we managed to score late on to make it three each and it felt like a win to us.
“We are on a good run at Dunfermline now and we need to be clinical and make it continue.”
Hardie’s boss McIntyre admitted that today’s opponents can blow hot and cold, but he is certain the Pars will face a stern test.Wary”Partick had a good result in midweek at Stirling to bounce back from their defeat last Saturday against Cowdenbeath and we must be wary of them,” he said.
“Games between us are always close affairs. They have some good young players as well as a lot of experience. I know their manager Ian McCall is pleased with his squad and it will be a tough, tough game.”
Steven Bell, Andy Kirk, Neil McGregor, Ryan Thomson, Nick Phinn and Steven McDougall will all miss out with injury for the Pars.
Though Thistle may be out of the promotion chase, the Firhill club want to have an exciting end to the season by coming out on top in the battle for best of the rest.
Jags assistant boss Ian Maxwell said, “I think that the title is between Raith and Dunfermline and you then have four teams chasing third spot in a mini-league of their own.
“We want to come out on top of that as finishing third with the financial restraints we have had this season would be a good achievement.”
Partick include their new signing from Northern Ireland, striker Tommy Stewart, in their squad along with fit-again defender Willie Kinniburgh.
However, Paul Paton, Paul Cairney and Bryan Hodge remain out through knocks.