James McPake has confessed Dunfermline are this afternoon facing the Championship’s on-form side in Ayr United.
But, despite it being bottom against top in the division, the Pars boss is convinced his side can pull off a shock.
Dunfermline have so far lost all three of their league games to stretch a grim sequence to half a dozen straight defeats.
On top of that, they have failed to scored in five of those six matches.
It would appear that the worst possible opponents, then, would be Ayr, who have opened the new campaign with four successive victories to sit three points clear at the summit.
McPake has been impressed by Scott Brown’s visitors.
“They’re on a great run, you can’t deny that,” said the Dunfermline manager. “I think Scott’s done a really good job.
“When he went in last season, he had a bit of work to do to secure their place in the division. He did that and they’ve recruited ever so well over the summer.
“They’ve had a really good start to the season, and they’ll be coming here full of confidence.
‘They’ve got a real threat’
“But we know with this league, whether you have the start they’ve got or the start we’ve got, there’s not an awful lot between any of the teams other than a bit of form at certain times.
“Ayr are carrying the form.
“They’ve got a real threat at the top end of the pitch with the two big strikers. And then they put loads of crosses into your box that you need to deal with.
“We need to be ready for that, and deal with that – and then hurt them the way that we know we can hurt them as well.”
Ayr have been installed as one of the early favourites to take the title, given the starts also made by managerless Raith Rovers and last season’s play-off qualifiers Partick Thistle and Airdrie.
The Honest Men’s opening to the campaign has not come as a surprise to McPake.
“I’ll take ourselves out it, just so that I’m not talking about us,” he said when asked about Ayr’s chances for the title.
“But I think they’ll be one of nine that will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season!
“I was down and saw them against Hamilton and they were really impressive [in a 3-2 win]. And then they beat Raith [2-0] last week.
‘They’ll be there or thereabouts’
“So it’ been a great start for them – but there’s a lot of football left in this league. We’ve all been in it and seen it long enough to know that.
“Even before the season, I thought they would be one of the stronger teams, particularly when you see George Oakley goes in, and Anton Dowds stays.
“If they can supply those two strikers, and they keep them fit, then they’re going to be a problem for every team throughout the full course of the season.
“I think, come play-off time, they’ll certainly be there or thereabouts.”
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