JUST when life was getting so enjoyable for Kilmarnock's Rory McKenzie his body goes and lets him down.
At Celtic Park on Saturday, the winger, who was being mindful of his defensive duties, moved to block a cross and his hamstring went ping.
Right away he knew it was serious.
McKenzie was playing his best football, had started talking about a new deal and now it might be January before the Kilmarnock supporters see him again.
"It’s probably the worst I’ve felt to be fair, " said McKenzie. "On Saturday night I knew it was bad. I had never pulled a muscle before but you know when it’s a bad one.
"I was pretty gutted. Stuart Armstrong went to cross the ball and I stuck out my leg to try and block it. I just felt a shooting pain straight away. I just knew it wasn’t good.
"I was just really enjoying it as well, I was enjoying my football. Last season was difficult as I got off to a good start and then had an injury.
“I was just having fun, every Saturday I was enjoying it. Even sometimes we were getting beat but I felt we were playing okay. That’s the biggest thing I’ve tried to do this season, just have fun and chill out a wee bit."
McKenzie was certainly chilling this week as he helped launch the club's 2016 calender.
"The leg has been iced from 9am to midday," he revealed. "I can’t get my head around not playing but it’s happened now.
“I had tendonitis last year and that was hard. It’s just the way it happened, I’ve never pulled a muscle before and it’s going to be a long six weeks."
The weekend rather summed up this Kilmarnock team. A draw at Celtic Park, that's two points taken from the champions so far, and then they can go and lose badly to a side below them in the league.
Many folk had Kilmarnock favourite for relegation but they have some decent players who could do with finding some consistency.
"It’s always been the same," said McKenzie. "Mark O’Hara and I were saying when we beat Celtic last season, I think we played Inverness here the next week and got beat 2-0.
"We seem to do well against the better teams and in games Kilmarnock are expected to win we don’t win. It’s strange. If Saturday’s result is going to mean anything we really need to win the next games."
And as for the contract, nothing yet has been decided.
"I was offered a new deal a couple of weeks ago, so it’s just at the first stage just now. I’ve not signed anything and we’re looking over it.
“I’d love to try something different but whether it’s right now or in the future I don’t know. That’s why I’m so gutted about this injury because I was playing every week, I was becoming a regular and now I’m out for a few weeks. The main thing is to play and that’s what I’m getting here."
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