James McPake is adamant Chris Kane will be available for Dunfermline’s Premier Sports Cup kick-off this weekend – despite another no-show from the striker.
The former St Johnstone favourite has not featured at all in pre-season and again sat out the 2-0 defeat against Dundee on Wednesday night.
The 29-year-old, who penned a two-year deal earlier this summer after a successful loan last term, has been following a different fitness programme in recent weeks.
McPake admits it is not ideal the marksman has not played in any of the Pars’ warm-up games, but a minor ankle injury precluded him from facing the Dark Blues.
However, the Fifers boss is confident Kane will be included for Saturday’s trip to face The Spartans.
“Chris is working away,” he said. “He has done a fair bit of training over the last five, six, seven days with the team.
“He’s been on a different programme but he picked up a very minimal ankle injury doing a shooting drill on Monday.
“But I’ll have Chris available for Saturday, I’m sure.
“I always said Chris Kane would be available for the League Cup games and then it was up to me and the medical team when he played.
McPake: ‘In an ideal world’
“To be fair, in an ideal world, I would have liked to have got minutes into him against Dundee.
“You don’t want to get to the first competitive game and you’ve not played at all.
“So it’s not great in terms of the minutes he’s had. Chris is certainly behind in terms of match minutes.
“Unfortunately, he picked up that ankle injury but I’m just glad it’s not a recurrence of any of the previous injuries he’s had, with his knee and his calf.
“But certainly in an ideal world he would have got 45 minutes against Dundee.”
The meeting with Dundee finished with Chris Hamilton lying prostrate on the touchline with an injury before he limped down the tunnel.
But McPake is optimistic the vice-captain will be fit to make the trip across the Forth this weekend.
“I think Hammy is okay,” he added. “It seems like a dead bum! Only Hammy can get injuries like that, but hopefully he’ll be okay.
“Ewan Otoo was a bit tight as well but I think it was more a fatigue thing.
‘A bit greedy’
“We’ve probably been a wee bit greedy with Ewan – and Kieran (Ngwenya) – trying to get as many minutes as we can.
“They’ll get looked at on Thursday but I’m sure Ewan and Hammy will both be fine for Saturday.
“Michael O’Halloran had a tight thigh as well but should be okay for Saturday.”
Dunfermline succumbed to an Antonio Portales header from a Luke McCowan free-kick and Curtis Main headed in a second from a Scott Tiffoney corner before the break.
McPake said: “I don’t think we were great in the first-half. It’s pre-season but the disappointing thing was the nature of the goals.
“Whether it’s pre-season or not, to concede the only two goals in the game from set plays [is disappointing].
“That’s not something that sits well with any of us, players or staff. That’s something we need to fix for the season. We know that.
“But we stood firm enough other than the set plays. It was a good workout for the lads.”
