Kyle Benedictus knows Dunfermline do not have to look far for warnings over a potential shock in their Premier Sports Cup curtain raiser.
Opening opponents The Spartans kicked off last season by stunning Dundee United with a 1-0 victory in the capital.
The League Two side then went on to dump Arbroath out of the Scottish Cup last November.
And, a couple of months later, high-flying Hearts needed a 90th-minute clincher to snatch a 2-1 win at Ainslie Park on the road to Hampden.
Dunfermline have failed to win any of their four pre-season friendlies, suffering defeats to East Fife, St Mirren and Dundee and drawing with Cove Rangers.
And Benedictus accepts they will need to prove they are ready for the competitive action if they are to start the season with the three points they want.
“We know results don’t matter [in pre-season],” said the Pars skipper. “But obviously you want to build a bit of momentum.
“But I think there’s been positives in every game, taking away the East Fife one. We’ll take things from there and the real stuff starts on Saturday.
“Like every other team, we’re desperate to get through. But we know how difficult a game we’ve got against Spartans.
“We’re under no illusions as a squad what we’ll be up against. It will be a very tough game, so we need to be prepared.
Benedictus: ‘We’ll battle our corner’
“The manager was been stressing to us that they beat Dundee United in the League Cup and they put Arbroath out of the Scottish Cup as well.
“And Hearts needed a last-minute winner against them as well.
“We’ll go there to battle our corner and try to play our game, and hopefully it’s enough to come out with three points.”
Dunfermline follow up Spartans with a home tie against Forfar on Tuesday before facing Livingston away and Cove Rangers at home.
“If you look at all the draws, it’s probably a fair one,” added Benedictus. “But we’ll need to give a good account of ourselves.”
Benedictus was one of the major absentees Dunfermline suffered in an injury-ravaged campaign last term.
The former Dundee and Raith Rovers defender made just 18 appearances due to foot and thigh injuries and is desperate for better fortune in the coming weeks and months.
“I’ve done the pre-season and not missed a day,” he added. “I’ve played all the games, with different minutes in each game, and I feel fine.
“What’s most important is, fingers crossed, it’s not a season like last season. Hopefully that was just a one-off.
“If we’ve got our team fit, we’re going to be competitive in every game, I can assure you that.”
