The news that veteran former Pars hitman Jim Hamilton has signed for Arbroath ahead of their Co-operative Insurance Cup tie brought a smile to the face of Dunfermline boss Jim McIntyre.
But McIntyre had a word of warning for his defenders about the 34-year-old, who he played with at East End Park.
He said, “Hammy pestered the life out of me in the dressing room here hopefully he won’t do that as an opposition player.
“It’s good to see him getting fixed up with what must be his 400th club.”
He added, “Seriously, though, he’s a great lad and we know what he brings to teams.
“He’s someone we’ll need to keep an eye on.”
The fact these teams last met only seven days ago, when Dunfermline edged an Alba Challenge Cup tie, means Hamilton represents just about the only surprise element that could be introduced to Saturday’s match.
McIntyre is hopeful he has a firm handle on what to expect, saying, “From what we saw Arbroath are well organised and hard to break down. They also have a couple of tricky players.
“However, if we pass the ball with a tempo then hopefully our better players can make the difference for us.”Sheerin confidentDunfermline will be missing Steven Bell, Willie Gibson and Alex Burke, and McIntyre admitted, after an impressive midweek friendly victory over Hearts, that he has a few selection decisions to make.
He said, “I was very, very pleased and they’ve given me something to think about.”
Arbroath player-manager Paul Sheerin believes his experience-packed side have what it takes to achieve an upset.
Despite losing to the Pars last week, Sheerin says he has no reason to doubt his players’ ability to get the result they need to progress to the next round.
He said, “Having played them just last week we know pretty well what Dunfermline are about and how they will play.
“Jim Hamilton’s arrival gives us another dimension up front and I think that, had he been playing for us last week, the outcome could have been very different.
“I don’t think he’ll be ready for a place in the starting 11 but he could well come off the bench at some stage, much like we did with Gavin Swankie last week.”
Keith Gibson and Alan Rattray are unavailable through injury and David Dimilta has work commitments.