DUNFERMLINE approach this afternoon's Premierleague curtain-raiser against Hearts in the hope that the coming campaign will not prove to be third time unlucky down East End Park way.

The Pars have flirted with the torments of relegation in both of the last two seasons, belatedly squirming from the clutches of the First Division to finish in 11th on both occasions. However, commentators appear to be queuing up to predict the Fifers may not manage a hat-trick of great escapes come next May.

The outlook is just as bleak in a personal sense for manager Jim Leishman, if the pundits are to be believed. Bookmakers have installed the East End Park legend as favourite to earn the unwanted title of first managerial casualty of the new SPL season, a prediction he is hoping to turn into a positive.

"I don't think it's strange that we've been tipped to go down by some," the colourful manager confessed. "We've finished 11th in the last two seasons, the statistics don't lie, and we've got to improve on that.

"We've spoken to the players about our expectations but it's about how they feel about it as well. It would certainly motivate me to be written off."

A first-day meeting with a Hearts team riding in the crest of a Champions League wave may not have been ideal. However, if the past two seasons have taught Dunfermline anything it is that it is the places earned on the final day that matter and not the first.

To that end, Leishman has been careful not to be rushed into replacing the eight first-team players he has lost over the course of the summer. Derek Young, Simon Donnelly, Yannick Zambernardi, Bartosz Tarachulski and Andy Campbell were all told they would not be offered new contracts, keeper Allan McGregor has returned to Rangers following his loan spell in Fife and Lee Makel and Noel Hunt opted for moves to Livingston and Dundee United respectively. Of those departing, however, only McGregor could be said to have contributed much to the cause last season, although Hunt did weigh in with some vital goals.

In Noel Whelan, who was expected to be signed before kick-off today, and Jim McIntyre, the Fifers have recruited experienced campaigners, while Roddy McKenzie and Dutchman Dorus de Vries will provide goalkeeping competition, and youngsters Calum Woods and Souleymane Bamba bring the benefits of being schooled at Liverpool and PSG respectively. Two more signings are expected before the transfer window closes next month.

Yet, while it can be argued the personnel has changed for the better, much could rest on whether a thin squad escapes the rashes of injuries which affected it last term. If absences are kept to a minimum, there is enough quality to do more than just survive, as was shown with the Pars' march to the CIS Cup final in March. But, with five already sidelined before a ball is kicked in anger, the omens may not be good for a stress-free season for the Fifers.