Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Who will reign in the Kingdom? Predictions as Dunfermline, Raith Rovers, East Fife, Cowdenbeath and Kelty Hearts begin league campaigns

Fife bosses
Fife bosses

German owners; arguably the toughest third tier in recent memory; the Maroon Machine revving up for a title race — it promises to be a breathless campaign for Fife’s SPFL representatives.

Dunfermline, Raith Rovers, East Fife, Cowdenbeath and Kelty Hearts all begin their league seasons on Saturday and, despite differing challenges and expectations, there is always that frisson of hope that it could be a special one.

Here, Courier Sport analyses what lies ahead for the clubs in the Kingdom.

Dunfermline

It is a new era at East End Park, on and off the pitch.

Positivity abounds following the DAFC Fussball GmbH, the German consortium committed to providing capital, strengthening infrastructure — including the a new training ground and youth academy — and putting a successful side on the pitch.

While there will be no repeat of the irresponsible days of boom-and-bust which led to administration in 2013, there is no doubt the influence of the new majority shareholders helped to get Graham Dorrans in the door this week.

Eyeing promotion: Grant

He is one of nine fresh faces, following the signings of Deniz Mehmet, Nikolay Todorov, Dan Pybus, Fraser Currid, Reece Cole, Ross Graham, Kai Kennedy and Rhys Breen.

And, under the watchful eye of new manager Peter Grant, the Pars are already playing some super stuff, with their fluid, aggressive 3-4-3 resulting in 13 goals from four Premier Sports Cup group games.

Given this is still early days, if Grant’s methods click, and his arrivals hit the ground running, this could finally be the year Dunfermline end their nine-season hiatus from the Premiership.

Prediction: 1st

Raith Rovers

One of Scottish football’s surprise packages last season, Rovers’ biggest challenge this term may be that all of their rivals know exactly what to expect: possession-based, up-tempo football, high-full-backs and inverted wingers.

Allied with the exits of key men such as Regan Hendry, Dan Armstrong, Kieran MacDonald and Kai Kennedy, John McGlynn has a challenge ahead.

However, the Rovers boss has never shied away from those.

He has replaced his departed starters with Christophe Berra, Liam Dick, Tom Lang, Blaise-Riley Snow, Dario Zanatta, Aidan Connolly, Matej Poplatnik, James Keatings and, most recently, Dundee United prospect Kai Fotheringham.

Impressive: Berra

And this new-look Raith side breezed through to the last-16 of the Premier Sports Cup without conceding a single goal — a real positive given defensive stoicism was rarely something they were lauded for last term.

McGlynn has also tinkered with a 3-4-3 and a 4-4-2 diamond this season, ensuring that, along with their preferred 4-3-3, Rovers have versatility and an ability to adapt to their opponents.

The Kirkcaldy club’s budget should, in all likelihood, have them targeting mere survival in the Championship but McGlynn can work his magic once more and get them in the playoffs.

Prediction: 4th

East Fife

Darren Young is a fine burgeoning coach and has seen his name linked with the Dunfermline job in the past, such is the solid job he continues to do with East Fife.

However, this could be one of the toughest campaigns yet for the Bayview club. The selection of ambitious, big-spending and full-time clubs in League One is simply as strong as it ever has been.

Mercer, right, against Dundee United

Cove Rangers are dishing out multi-year deals to the likes of Shay Logan and Iain Vigurs, Falkirk and Alloa see themselves as Championship clubs, Queen’s Park are seeking to soar through the divisions and Airdrie just swept Motherwell aside.

That is before one mentions Montrose, who secured a playoff place last term.

East Fife’s summer business has been modest, albeit Scott Mercer is a fine signing and ex-St Johnstone defender Aaron Steele has promise, and they lost all of their Premier Sports Cup group phase matches.

Mid-table safety, in the circumstances, would be a good effort for Young and his coaching team.

Prediction: 6th

Kelty Hearts

The Maroon Machine are the favourites for the League Two title and it is hard to argue with the bookies’ assessment when you look at the business carried out at New Central Park.

Coup: Cardle

Their most recent signing, Thomas O’Ware, boasts more than 250 appearances in the SPFL with Morton and Partick Thistle, Joe Cardle is a remarkable coup and Jordan Forster has ample Premiership experience.

Along with the captures of Jamie Barjonas, Alfie Agyeman, Andy Black, Botti Biabi and Reis Peggie — and with Nathan Austin and Kallum Higginbotham already on the books — Kelty are tooled up for a title charge.

The appointment of Thomas also speaks volumes. He has been tempted from a position within Rangers’ coaching structure and, allied with running his own academy, is a young manager of some potential.

This may be Kelty’s first season in the SPFL but they are a club in a hurry to climb the ladder.

Prediction: 1st

Cowdenbeath

When Gary Bollan grasped the reins at the Blue Brazil in November 2017, he took over a club fighting for survival in League Two and, in all likelihood, fighting for its survival.

Cowdenbeath prevailed in the SPFL pyramid playoff final against Cove Rangers at the end of that season, and since then, Bollan has ensured relegation has never been a serious threat.

In his three full campaigns in charge, the Central Park men have finished sixth, fourth — albeit in a season which was curtailed due to Covid — and ninth.

Seeking to build upon that most recent, and rather disappointing finish, Cowden have done some cracking business over the close season.

Return: Buchanan

The prodigal son, Liam Buchanan, has returned, while Kyle Hutton, David McGurn, Craig Thomson and Bobby Barr are super signings. Teenagers Luke Mahady and Quinn Coulson have arrived on loan from Fife neighbours Raith Rovers and are considered fine prospects.

Wins over Brechin City and Alloa in the Premier Sports Cup group phase — allied with taking the lead against Livingston before slipping to defeat — are an early indication of their promise.

Prediction: 5th