Dunfermline defender Malachi Fagan-Walcott insists it is ‘a bonus’ he arrived in Scottish football knowing nothing about the Championship’s strikers.
The former Spurs youngster admits his opponents have been unknown quantities in every game he has played since moving north on loan from Cardiff City in January.
The 22-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Monday, believes that means he is unburdened by fears of past meetings or reputations.
He is hopeful it is a freshness that works on Friday night as he tries to help the Pars snuff out the attacking threats of Dundee United’s ‘Premiership-quality’ trio of Tony Watt, Louis Moult and Alex Greive.
He said: “It is difficult for me because the gaffer will name players in the dressing room – but I won’t know who they are.
“So I just go into every game not thinking anything of it. I don’t know what they’ve done [in the past].
“That gives me a bonus because I don’t go into the game with a mindset of what I’m up against, not knowing how many goals they have scored in the Premiership.
“I feel like that helps me.
‘Positive vibe’
“But whoever they are we just have to defend as a unit; stick to what we know and what we do best. When we defend like a unit we keep a clean sheet.”
Fagan-Walcott will have a little more insight into Friday’s opponents, having made his Pars debut in the goalless stalemate between the teams in January.
Watt was replaced by Moult on that occasion, with Greive also being introduced to the fray after an hour as United struggled to break down Dunfermline.
The Fifers, currently just a point above Inverness Caley Thistle in second bottom, also earned a 1-1 draw on Tayside at the start of the season and suffered a dramatic late 2-1 defeat against the Tangerines in November.
Fagan-Walcott added: “There is a positive vibe around the dressing room about going into this game.
“Of what I remember it was tough but a good game up there. I think the boys played well and we defended well as a unit.
“I have a positive feeling about it.”
The optimism might have been greater had Dunfermline’s recent revival not been cut short by 2-0 defeats to Airdrie and rivals Raith Rovers last week.
However, the trip to Stark’s Park at the weekend did mark the return of skipper Kyle Benedictus for a third comeback of the campaign.
The influential 32-year-old completed his first 90 minutes in over six months due to an unwanted hat-trick of separate injuries.
‘Feel his presence’
But Fagan-Walcott has seen enough to suggest the former Dundee centre-half could be a key performer in the coming weeks as the Pars seek to avoid a relegation dogfight.
The Londoner said: “He [Benedictus] is different but similar to Hammy [Chris Hamilton] in the sense that they are both loud and commanding.
“You can feel his presence and you feel more safe with him behind you.
“He makes sure that you are concentrating all the time. It was good [against Raith], he commanded me around quite a bit.
“We strive to get clean sheets, that’s our main goal. It hurts when we concede but we can’t dwell on it too much and let it affect the next game.”
