It's Gerry's can

Eyeing up the SPL fixtures is a mouth watering treat for Cabie. The Pars assistant manager assesses new players.

With Manager Jim McIntyre in Denmark working on his UEFA Licence, it was his assistant Gerry McCabe who was at East End Park to savour the atmosphere of the fixture card release on Friday. He was as pleased as you could possibly be with the way the fixtures looked for the SPL new boys:-

"Some say you are better meeting the Old Firm early on in the campaign but with an opening game at home against St Mirren and then to be at home to Inverness after that, it is a great opportunity for us to try and get points on the board. I am sure we will be up for the first game of the season and we are certainly looking forward to it."

The return of Paul Gallacher, Gerry termed a "great coup for the Club.

"We worked with Paul before he left and he was a loss to us. But for the Manager to get the backing of the board to bring Paul back has been great. He has had great experience in the SPL; he is a talented goalie and highly thought of. He has been a favourite here as well so I am really delighted that Paul is back here at the Club.

"When the season ended we had players targeted; boys who had played well against us. There are a lot of good players in the First Division; Paul Burns is a talent and he is ambitious which is very important.

"Andy Barrowman has played up there before at Inverness and the Manager had a good talk with him at the time he was there before. I think he has learnt from that experience of going back to the First Division and he will take that chance to come back to the SPL.

"Paddy Boyle is the other one we were very impressed with last season when he played against us. I had a chance to sign him when I was down at Dumbarton after his time at Everton. He is another player who we have kept an eye on all season.

"I look at the players we have got here as well. We have good wide men and are well covered in these areas. The Manager is trying to add another two or three and if we get these players in I think we will do OK.

"Winning the league and the celebrations have been great but now that's behind us and it sinks in when you see the fixtures where we are going to be playing next season. Probably some of the players have been there but it's new for a lot of our boys and it is just reward for the hard season they had last year."