Craig Halkett Q&A: Injury progress and winter break benefit

The centre-back spoke to the press ahead of the Premiership clash with Livingston in West Lothian on Tuesday afternoon, the final match before the winter break.

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How would you reflect on the draw with Ross County?

It was disappointing. We spoke about before the game how important it is to maintain things after such a good result during the week. The performance was important and I don’t think it was there. But credit to everyone who was involved, we got back into it. It was disappointing not to get three points, but to get come back from two goals down, there were positives.

How important is it to end the year on a high?

It’s really important. We were disappointed not to beat Ross County, but the draw has kept the momentum going. We want to finish this tough run of games on a high, so it’s a crucial one.

How are you feeling having come back into the team in the last few weeks?

Good. It has been a long year and myself, the manager and the sports scientists all know it’s going to take a few games to get back up to 100 per cent. But right now I am feeling as good as I can be.

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The aim is to hold onto third place going into the break?

We spoke about it, December’s a really tough month for everyone. And the team who puts a really good run together always seems to come out on top, if you can pick up a lot of wins. We have done brilliantly to get into third and then just to finish off this block there would be good.

Does the break come at a good time personally for you?

Yeah, I think so. It was always important for me to come back in and play a couple of games before the break. I didn’t want to go into the break not having featured, so it was good to get some minutes under my belt. Like I said, it was always going to take time after such a long time out to get up to 100 per cent. We have another game on Tuesday and then I can work hard during the break to come back.

You have played a lot on the astro with Livi, but is that a concern with your injury and playing on it so soon after?

Not really, to be honest. I played on that pitch for three and a half years, so I’m pretty used to it. It’s not something I have in the back of my head. When we go to Kilmarnock we practice on astro a couple of days before just to get used to bounces and the way the ball goes. So it’s not something I am thinking about, to be honest.

Are you surprised to see Livi struggling?

I am, to be honest. The work Davie has done there since I was there and since I have left has been brilliant. He says it himself, at the start of every season everyone tips them to go down and they always defy the odds. I think for a club like Livingston they have been in the top league for five or six years now and it was a great achievement every single year they did it. So to see where they are is a bit of a surprise but I still think they’ll have enough in the building to get out of it.

They will be determined to turn it around and that could make them dangerous?

It’s not just Davie, it’s everyone in the building, the kitman, the physios, the staff in the kitchen, they’re all so close-knit. They all pull in the same direction. We’ve spoken about the break for us and the break is probably coming at a good time for them as well. They can go away, rest, recover and reset before they come back and I’m sure they’ll do everything they can to stay up.

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Kind of a game where you know you are going to be in for a right good scrap?

It is, especially down at Livingston, every team knows how tough it is when you go there. It doesn’t matter the run they have been on or even the run we have been on, it’s the last game before the break. So everyone will be going into it trying to pick up the win so they end the first half of the season on a high. The momentum we have got and the run we’ve been on has been important for everyone in the building. I think you see we’ve had a few injuries but we are getting people back and there’s competition for places now. That helps. It’s always tough down there. From their point of view, it’s about getting that goal or taking a lead in a game to kick that on. We’ll go there and try and make sure that doesn’t happen, but it’s going to be tough.

What does the winter break look like for you and the squad?

We’ll have a few days off. Everyone in the squad will, whether they have been playing or not, we’ll all have a complete rest. There will be a couple of days of off-season programme to get us back to speed before we come in. And then I’m sure the first ten days or so will be like a mini pre-season to get us back ready. But the rest will be important.