East Fife caretaker manager Gary Naysmith believes the arrival of Blair Henderson will give the Bayview side a new string to their bow.
The highly rated striker had been linked with a move to Hearts after turning down a contract at previous club Dunfermline Athletic during the height of the Pars’ financial troubles.
However, the forward has now agreed a move to East Fife and will be in the squad for Saturday’s important League One game at home to Stenhousemuir.
Naysmith knows what attributes the 19-year-old will bring to the table, having trained alongside him at Hearts earlier this year, and is looking forward to seeing him in action as the stand-in boss looks to secure a win that could help him earn the job on a permanent basis.
“I think he gives us something that we’ve not had and something that we’ve been missing,” he told Courier Sport.
“He’s about six foot three or four, he’s a big presence and is not only good in the air but can take the ball in as well, so we’re delighted to have him with us.
“When I was training at Hearts earlier this season he was doing the same, so we’ve managed to get him in on the basis he can train Tuesday and Thursday and play on Saturday so it’s worked out well for both parties.”
It had been suggested that Dunfermline would be entitled to compensation if Henderson signed for another club, but Naysmith told Courier Sport that wasn’t the case.
“Everybody thought that but it’s been cleared by the SPFL and the SFA that we don’t that was something we checked out before he was signed,” he continued.
Naysmith has been busy preparing for his first league game in charge after the departure of Willie Aitchison and has made no secret of the fact he would love the job full-time.
Three points to help lift the Fifers out of the drop zone would go a long way towards guaranteeing that, although Naysmith will be without Gary Thom through suspension and midfielder Paul Willis.
“Paul has had an ankle injury that is taking a lot longer to clear up than we thought,” he said.
“He’s had a scan and he’s on the recovery trail now but he will not be available for this weekend’s game.
“He’s been out for a while and it’s important not to rush him back too early.”