East Fife boss Barry Smith is definitely taking nothing for granted when his side play bottom of the table Stranraer at Bayview this afternoon.
On paper, there should only be one winner with the Methil men currently eight games unbeaten and buoyed by a superb William Hill Scottish Cup win over Livingston last week while the Stair Park outfit have lost their last three fixtures.
However, Smith is wary of a side with a lot of experience who will be determined to impress new manager Stevie Farrell, who took over at the club earlier this week.
Smith said: “It was a great result against Livingston and we were delighted to get through to the next round of the cup.
“We contained them for long spells and the boys worked really hard to close them down.
“It was a fine finish from Nicki Paterson to win the game.
“It was also good to see Kevin Smith back in the starting line-up. He is the club captain, one of our most experienced players and it is a big boost to have him back fully fit.
“We now turn our attention back to league business and I have a big decision to make over who to select in goal.
“St Johnstone did not want Mark Hurst to play in the Scottish Cup last weekend and Ryan Goodfellow came in and did well but it is a good headache to have.
“Stranraer may be bottom of the table but they have good, experienced players such as Steven Bell and Willie Gibson.
“There will also be an extra edge for their players as they have a new manager to impress in Stevie Farrell.
“So it is a big game for us and we have stressed to the players the importance of it. Another three points will take us closer to where we want to be.”
Smith will have an unnamed trialist in his squad for today’s game while Kyle Wilkie’s operation on Thursday went well and he will now begin his rehab.