Kev on song for the Pars

Eleven league games undefeated for the 30 year old central defender.

Kevin Rutkiewicz has no idea what happens to him next. He has spoken to Jim McIntyre and had formal talks about next season. Kevin says that there is something on the table and he would love to stay at Dunfermline:-

"There is no other club in Scotland that I am going to go to. There is interest from further afield than Scotland but I will sit down with the gaffer again and have a wee chat about it and hopefully we can sort something out. This has been as good for me as hopefully I have been for Dunfermline. It has given me a new impetus and refreshed me.

"I can see that in my own game and I feel it in training every day. It has been superb and has been a big turn around for me personally."

Kevin has had ding dongs on the park against Jim McIntyre but he has the greatest respect for his gaffer:-

"I am not a great footballer, I just like to rough it up on the park but we get on well. That's across the board though, he gets on well with all his players although there is a line to be drawn. He has that authority as well and we all respect that. This is the start of the hard work and I cannot emphasise enough to the boys who are going to be here next season that this is the beginning of what is going to be a really really tough season."

Those comments are built on the knowledge he acquired playing in the SPL with Aberdeen and St Johnstone, he continued:-

"If league reconstruction goes ahead, it will be harder than ever to stay in the Premierleague if it goes down to ten teams. We are under no illusions it could be a right tough season and we need to be prepared for that."

Turning to look back and at Saturday's celebrations, Kevin had his 18 month old girl on the pitch at the end since she was not born when her dad was part of the St Johnstone championship celebrations:-

"It is great to get the kids involved. It got a wee bit dangerous with the fans running about but hopefully they enjoyed their day at Cappielow - getting on the park and running about like mad men. They are going to enjoy it more when it was the two Fife teams going for the title and we've come out on top."

Kevin is especially pleased for his team mates who have been at East End Park for the greatest period of Jim McIntyre's tenure.

"It has been a hard and difficult job for him; it has never been easy and he has had to make a lot of cutbacks and re-build a squad. He has built a great squad; the boys have been superb since I came here. Credit to them and the gaffer that all that hard work on the past two or three seasons - not just over the past six months - has paid off."

It was February when Kevin joined Dunfermline and in eleven league appearances he did not lose a single game. The defence has certainly benefitted from his numerous attributes:-

"I have loads of experience, that's one thing I have in my corner and I will never claim to be a magnificent player by any stretch of the imagination but if I can bring other qualities to the team - experience and maybe organisation skills - to maybe get the best out of other boys that is maybe a quality in itself. It is something that I like to think I have got - a leader on the park.

"To a man, every one of the boys have all stepped up when it really mattered. It was a big game up at Ross County when Martin got a late goal, Falkirk away, Raith here - there have been some massive games. Before we have maybe stumbled before in the big games - not producing the right result or the right display.

"The display against Raith in the second last game at home was superb. We were streets ahead of them on the day. Raith have been a great credit to their club and their manager all season but on the day we were so far ahead and we deserved to go on and win the title."

The squad certainly showed they had the mettle when it came to the crunch games at the end of the season:-

"It was squeaky bum time and all the other cliches but to go into that last quarter and have our best quarter says a lot for the team. Each and every individual put in a tremendous effort. Some of the results were workman like but a lot of them were really good displays for this time in the season. The eyes are on you, the pressure is on you and the crowds are getting bigger but the response from everybody was superb."

Kevin enjoyed the after match scenes at Greenock and then at East End Park but although he gave more than his fair share when the players sang the supporters' songs in the Cappielow dressing room, he has kept a low profile in the celebrations:-

"There are a lot of boys here who worked really hard. Steven McDougall started with Rangers but went down a level to ply his trade at Airdrie and worked his way back up. For him to go into the Premierleague is fairytale stuff. The climate of Scottish football is not great and had we not gone up there would have been big changes at this club for the worse. For the Club alone I am delighted, and for the fans. It ensures that the Club stays strong for next season anyway and hopefully for longer."