New Pars boss will draw from experience

James Mcpake insists he will be “extra shrewd” with his Dunfermline signings after learning lessons from his spell in charge at Dundee.

Mcpake has so far snapped up Raith Rovers skipper Kyle Benedictus and freed Hearts midfielder Chris Hamilton, who impressed on loan at Arbroath last season.

The new Pars boss is aware he must get value for money as he looks to spend his reduced budget wisely following the club’s relegation to League One.

And he has revealed that means looking more closely at players’ mental attributes as well as their physical abilities before tabling offers.

Mcpake said: “On reflection, that’s something I’ve learned. Not to say I just signed players for the sake of signing players, but it was my first job.

“I think now I do look more into the character of the player and, again, that’s not having a go at anybody.

“But with the budget, obviously with dropping a division, we’ve got to be extra shrewd, we’ve got to look at what we’re doing in finer detail.

“That’s not to say we were reckless at any point at Dundee, but I think it’s important that the balance of the squad’s right.”

Mcpake is convinced he has the basis of a successful side already on the books at East End Park, but knows fresh faces can help bring some positivity back to the Fife club.

He added: “There is a good squad here. That sounds daft because that squad got relegated, and that’s not having a go at anyone.

“We deserve to be where we are, but we need to sign players that, first and foremost, come the start of the Premier Sports Cup, can start winning games of football and get the fans off their seats here again.”