James McPake believes ‘optimism’ is returning to Dunfermline after he was given the green light to strengthen his threadbare squad.
The Pars boss has been working with limited options so far this season after seeing ten players leave at the end of last season.
Until this week, only Chris Kane, David Wotherspoon and Kieran Ngwenya had been recruited this summer.
But McPake finally added a goalkeeper with the arrival of Tobi Oluwayemi on Thursday, and midfielder Josh Cooper has made it two fresh faces in two days.
The Fifers are hopeful of adding one more in time for Saturday’s trip to face Hamilton Accies – and possibly two next week.
The signings have not only boosted numbers at East End Park but also morale after a disappointing opening to the campaign.
“We are lifted, the fans are lifted,” said McPake of the effect the signings can have. “It is a football club and new signings coming in does lift you.
“But I think sometimes what is overlooked is what it does for a dressing room.
“For me, it raises the standard of the training. It raises the standard of individuals.
Internal motivation
“They are thinking, ‘now that there is going to be strength in depth in this squad, if I’m not ‘at it’ then I will be sitting on the bench or in the stand’.
“I don’t mean that in a threatening way. It gives you that internal motivation.
“There is an optimism about the place. I can feel it with the players, I can see it in their training.
“They know when there’s competition for places all over the pitch they grow that half inch taller and they all want to show you they’re the one that should be picked.”
Asked about the numbers he expects to add to his squad, McPake added: “We’ve got two in at the minute. It could potentially be more by [Saturday].
“Hopefully [it will], but certainly next week it will be more than two. I know that.
“That’s positive. The fans will be positive with that as well.
“They want to see new signings, they want to see new players in their team and they’re going to see that over the next wee while.”
The sudden burst of signing activity has been made possible after the club’s primary investors, DAFC Fussball GmbH, loosened the purse strings last week.
Previously, McPake had confessed he had been unable to compete financially with Championship rivals for targets.
External noise
And both he and some players, such as Kyle Benedictus and Chris Kane, had spoken of the need for reinforcements.
The new budget comes after the Germany-based investors announced their intention to sell their stake in Dunfermline.
“The message from Thomas [Meggle, sporting director] was to keep concentrating on the football,” added McPake when asked about his reaction to the shock development. “The objective again is to win the next game.
“Off the back of the statement, there was obviously a load of ‘noise’ and stuff on the outside, which happens all the time at any club.
“But what they have done is they’ve said, ‘we’ll back you to go and get players, where you see fit for the squad’.
“In terms of everything else, that’s as simple as it is for me.
“It’s about going out and getting the reinforcements that we need and carrying on with the football.
“For me, it’s about preparing that team in training and taking that team into the game.
“And let’s get back to winning games of football.”
Conversation