James McPake has insisted his side are not thinking about the league campaign just now as they focus solely on their opening game of the Premier Sports Cup.
Dunfermline completed their preseason with a 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock on Tuesday night – the only goal they conceded across four friendlies.
With Derek McInnes’ team recently promoted to the Premiership, it was a tough challenge ahead of the competitive actions starting.
On Tuesday Deniz Mehmet was named in the starting XI but felt something in the warm-up and wasn’t risked.
In the second half defender Rhys Breen tried to carry on after receiving treatment but soon also left the field as a precaution.
McPake expects both to recover in time for Saturday’s Fife derby at Bayview and confirmed he has a starting lineup in mind.
Not thinking about the league
There they will take on an East Fife, relegated to League Two last season and managed by former Pars player and manager Stevie Crawford.
“We’re not thinking about the league at the minute,” said the manager.
“Everything’s focused on East Fife now – and then we’re right into Buckie, then Ross County.
“It is a big nine or 10 days coming up for the football club, so we need to be ready, which we are.
“As a manager, pre-season is vital, and you’re building and implementing some of your principles, your tactics – whatever people want to call them – but you’re also getting the boys fit and ready to go.
“We feel we’re in that place and I can’t wait for Saturday now.”
McPake said work was still being done to recruit players for his thin squad in this “slow window”.
He recently spoke of a domino effect caused by some clubs starting back later.
Dunfermline ready to go
If no more additions are made in the coming days he is confident his team is prepared for the banana skins thrown up by the Premier Sports Cup group stage.
“We’ve been relatively lucky with injury,” added McPake, “touch wood nothing changes between now and Saturday, but we’ll be ready.
“It’s a serious competition and, I said that from day one, we’re building towards July 9.
“It’s a few days away and we’ll be ready for that.”
“We’re building towards playing and how we’re going to approach the East Fife game.
“It’s on an astro pitch, no problem – we’ve had plenty of work on that in the pre-season. We’ll work on that in the next few days.
“It makes it tough, the game coming round quick – but it also makes it exciting because, as a player, you didn’t like pre-season.
“It was all running and then not competitive games, but when the real games start, as a manager, you want to be involved in real, competitive games.”
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