Sink or Swim for Simon

Non swimmer Simon Wiles takes to the pool as he fights to get back to full fitness

Simon Wiles is well on the way to recovery from the micro fracture to his right thigh bone but feels the end of the season will come too soon for him to return to action.

Surgery was required three weeks after incurring the injury in the 3-1 win at Airdrie on 4 November but things didn't go smoothly for the young Englishman who will be 24 on Wednesday 22nd April.

"The scar was rising and started weeping a little so when I went back on to the surgeon a couple of days into January he said straight away that he wanted me to stay in."

The Ross Hall surgeon scraped all the scar out leaving a big hole. Simon had this packed every day as part of the healing process with Aquacel that helps the skin rise up.

"It has done the job though because I am fully healed up now. The crutches went four or five weeks ago, I do two half hour sessions on the bike every day and I am doing loads of exercises as well trying to build up my thigh muscle. That means squats, hamstring stretching - it is a hard process but we are getting there. The muscle is coming back now and feeling good."

On Friday Simon started training in the pool at Caledonia under the supervision of Club physio Gerry Docherty:-

"You put the belt wrapped around you and start running in the pool; straight legging kicking and things like that to build up the thigh muscle that completely deteriorated."

Simon should expect three or four weeks of daily 40 minute work outs in the pool, he added:-

"It's all fitness work and I am looking forward to it even if I can't swim but ask me that again in four weeks!"

Rehab will continue into the close season and Gerry Docherty will stick with Simon as he aims to be fit for the pre season.

"I know my contract is up at the end of this season but my main priority is just to get myself fit and feel that my knee is 100%. I don't want to come back and have another breakdown."

Wiles made his Pars debut coming on in the league match against Airdrie in August. He started two matches and came off the bench ten times before the season ending injury at Airdrie:-

"I am absolutely gutted that I have not been able to play. It is just one of those things, the other side of football - the boys are flying into the Semi Final of the cup at Hampden and even though I feel part of it with all the boys but personally I'd love to be involved in the cup run. It made up for it at Aberdeen, I was there. I just wanted to be there. I'd never been to Aberdeen and there's a lot of history with the club so to go there and get the result was brilliant."

That match apart Simon has felt frustrated watching from the sidelines. Every time he watches he just wants to be out there playing but he admits that it is surprising how much you learn watching games.

"Players' movements and things like that. You think to yourself 'I could bring that into my game'. Obviously I wanted to work on the defensive side of my game so I am watching out for how the wingers defend."

Should Simon be back at East End Park next season he is likely to be re-united with Joe Cardle who has signed a pre contract with Dunfermline. The two played together before when Cardle went on trial to Blackpool:-

"I knew Joe before I came up here.  When he came to Blackpool he was a striker but it would be exciting to see him next season. I am looking forward to it. He is a little livewire so it could be exciting for the Club as well."

It is no surprise that Jim McIntyre's two pre contract agreements, Steven McDougall and Joe Cardle, are wingers. In the match that Simon was injured he had replaced the already crocked Kevin Harper. Harper was able to return for the match against Dundee on the Saturday but he has started only three games since that fateful evening in Lanarkshire. So just when Simon could have got into the starting eleven he was injured.

"I was thinking that I had got my chance now but I went and injured my knee. It is just frustrating and probably the gaffer has been wanting more crosses into the box than we have been doing. Hopefully once I get back fit and with the new wingers, there would be good competition but hopefully I can come back and start whipping some balls in."

Simon is desperately keen to stay at Dunfermline but he will just have to wait and see if he is to wear the Pars colours again:-

"The Club have been brilliant and I have really settled in well up here."