Findlay still unclear on rules after weeks in Covid- 19 isolation
STUART FINDLAY became a victim of circumstance as he was confined to his house and had to watch club and country from afar.
Had his situation been different, he would have been on the park for Kilmarnock and could have been for Scotland. He doesn’t look back at his time in Covid confinement with regret, though, because he knows it could happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time.
The coronavirus scare that Kilmarnock were caught up in could still have consequences for the club as they prepare to defend themselves against an SPFL charge regarding the postponement of their match with Motherwell.
Six positive cases in Alex Dyer’s squad saw the entire group forced to self- isolate and Findlay would miss the win over Livingston last month.
Since returning to the side, he has suffered back- to- back defeats against Hibernian and Rangers, but he has a sense of perspective on what has been a tumultuous few weeks for everyone at Rugby Park.
Findlay said: “I was frustrated that I had to do a extra few days due to isolation rules and miss the game but the boys were were brilliant against Livingston and big Clev [ Dikamona] came in and had an excellent game.
“He then started against Hibs and got a bad injury and I managed to come on so we’ve got that depth of squad that we can rely on players when people get injured.
“It won’t be the same starting XI every week but now I’m back in the team I want to keep doing well and if I keep that
going hopefully it’s good. I was just sitting in the house but it’s inevitable that other teams will go through this so you take it and realise there’s not much you can do about it.
“I trained really hard so I wasn’t off the pace and could hit the ground running. The rules are so different and nobody knows exactly what they are.
“What I do know is that the club has done nothing wrong and we’re sensible and go about our business professionally. We come in, do our work and get ourselves home.
“I’ve seen more of my house than the training ground recently but it’s inevitable teams will have players out and it’s about how you deal with it mentally and physically.
“I know we haven’t won the last couple of games but we beat Livingston before that and have produced good performances.”
It is not just at club level where the impact of Covid has been felt in recent weeks and Findlay’s former manager Steve Clarke had issues of his own to deal with during the last international break.
Scotland would survive their scares as three encouraging results and performances helped to raise the national spirits. Now, Clarke is preparing his side for their date with destiny and a shot at the European Championships this month.
Those that got drafted in for national service at Hampden certainly made the most of their chance to impress. Time will tell if Clarke calls on one of his former tried and trusted stars for the defining clash with Serbia.
Findlay said: “Andrew Considine and Paul Hanlon got into the Scotland squad. I might have got a call- up, I’ll never know but I don’t want to be gutted at not getting into the squad due to a pull out – I’d rather be in on merit.
“I push towards that every week. It might not happen. There’s some really good players on the left side of defence which is good for the country and I support the country.
“But if I can go out and play well I can hopefully put myself in the manager’s thoughts. People might think because I’m a Kilmarnock boy and we worked under the manager that we get in.
“But I think the boys who played under Steve Clarke at Kilmarnock are in on merit and he knows he can trust me.
“But he also knows what the other boys are capable of now because he’s been with them so we’re all playing off a level playing field. I can just go out and show what I can do and if that’s enough then happy days and if not I‘ ll work harder.”