After three years without completing a full season, Dunfermline new boy Alex Jakubiak wanted to take his time before deciding his next move.
The 27-year-old left Dundee in the summer a Championship title winner and while he has made no secret that he would like to have stayed at Dens Park, he was in no rush to decide his future.
After a couple of months out of the game, Jakubiak was spotted at Dunfermline’s recent Fife derby defeat to Raith Rovers and joined the club for training the next week.
A week passed with no announcement and the striker again joined up with the Pars for training last week before signing a deal until the end of the season on Friday.
But, the reasons for his extended absence were nothing more than getting himself in the right frame of mind for his next challenge.
That involved some quality time with those close to him, including with his dog Koba.
Alex Jakubiak: I just kept myself training
“Things are never quite as straightforward as maybe they might seem from the outside,” said Jakubiak. “I have not really had an off-season in all my time at Dundee.
“Each off-season I have been coming back from injury, so I just kept myself training.
“I took a little bit of a break and had some downtime because I have been full-on aside from the injuries for the last three years.
“I have not really had any holidays at all, working over the summer when other boys might have been away.
“They were well-deserved breaks but for me, I have not had a full season in the last three years.
‘My dog looks scary but he’s a big baby’
“So I didn’t think about a holiday but I just had some downtime and spent a lot of time with my dog, it was good.
“I went back home to London for a week or so and then went down with my missus.
“That was good but spent a lot of time with my dog. He is half-Rottweiler, half-Mastiff. He looks big a scary but he is a big baby.”
Jakubiak hasn’t played a competitive match since the final day of last season when he sent Dundee on their way to the Championship title versus Queen’s Park – though did play a half for the Pars Reserves on Tuesday.
Coincidentally, he could make his debut for Dunfermline against Queen’s this weekend – but at an unfamiliar venue.
Alex Jakubiak: End of the season at Dundee was the perfect finish
“I was speaking to my mum about that,” said Jakubiak. “It is funny how things work out like that, at Hampden as well. I have never played there.
“If that is the case it will be a good one and a new one for me as well.”
Despite his bad luck with injuries, Jakubiak “loved” his time at Dundee and didn’t want it to end.
He has no regrets and played his part towards the end of last season as the club secured promotion back to the Premiership.
“The end of the season was the perfect way for me to finish for me, personally,” he said.
“I didn’t want it to end, I had an interview after the last game where I was happy to admit that and say that I wanted to stay but it is part of the game.
“You move on but I leave there with some good memories.”
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