By Graeme Dey in Holland

NOEL HUNT yesterday begged Dunfermline to ignore all approaches for his mentor Craig Brewster.

Former Pars boss Jimmy Calderwood is keen to take Brewster to Pittodrie, although as of last night he still had not tabled an offer.

But Hunt reckons the Pars would be crazy to let the 37-year-old striker go and revealed he’d be devastated if Brewster moved.

“Craig is a great professional, one of the best in the SPL, and it is absolutely vital we hang on to him,” he said.

“Not only is he a great all-round player he also has the kind of experience that the team and myself can only benefit from.

“From day one Craig has looked out for me, offering encouragement and sound advice, and I would hate to see him go to Aberdeen.

“He is the ideal role model for a young player like myself.

“If I am ever in doubt about something I go to him and he always puts me straight.

“He really is an honest person and great credit to him for what he taught me on and off the field last season.

“I had so much to learn when I came over here but he, along with Stevie Crawford, sat me down and told me what to do and not to do.”

With Brewster sidelined Hunt is set to lead the Pars attack in the opening fixture of the four match trip to Holland against FC Groningen tomorrow.

And that’s a far cry from the situation he found himself in 12 months ago when he made the trip across the North Sea but never kicked a ball after it emerged he was suffering from an ankle break.

“I came here last year but because of an injury I’d picked in an earlier pre-season game against East Fife I never played and in fact ended up going home early,” he recalled.

“I’d no idea my ankle was broken, in fact badly broken, and it was all a bit of a nightmare really.

“That’s why when I saw we had East Fife again just before coming over I was a bit nervous.

“It wasn’t just that we were facing East Fife in our last match before Holland.

“It was also the fact it was played on the same park and on almost the same day!

“But I got through the full game this time and although I didn’t score I set up four goals.”

Hunt (21)—who missed out on a Tennents Scottish Cup Final appearance after picking up a training ground injury only days before the big game—reckons that just because Stevie Crawford has gone does not mean that there is a guaranteed first-team place for him.

He said, “This is such as important season for me.

“I seem to be in there at the moment and the manager has said to me I’ve done pretty well so far.

“But I have to take the chance in Holland to prove to him that I can do it.

“I think that once he is fit, Craig and I would play well together and I’d hope to hold down the spot alongside him in the team.

“But I’ll have to perform well for that to happen and the manager has made a couple of quality signings in Derek Lyle and Simon Donnelly.

“I’ve got another year after this one and we are in talks at the moment which will, with a bit of luck, lead to my contract being extended.

“But while that takes a bit of the pressure off in one regard I still have to contend with the pressure coming from the other players who want to get in the team as well.

“Derek and Simon are good players whose presence at the club will keep me on my toes.

“And the fact the manager is bringing the Italian trialist in for a look because Craigie (Brewster) is doubtful for the start of the season shows he wants to have plenty of competition for places.”

Meanwhile, former Duisburg striker Massimo Cannizaro doesn’t join the Pars party until today when fellow Italian trialist Fabrizzio Stringardi is also due to report.

Neither will start against Groningen and while there’s a possibility—given only 16 of the 19 signed players who travelled are fit to feature—one or both might be on the bench, the likelihood is it will be Wednesday and the game against Heerenveen before Davie Hay has a look at the pair in a match situation.

Midfielder Darren Young joined brother Derek—who is expected at best to figure in only the final tour fixture a week tomorrow following summer knee surgery—in making the trip to Holland after having his calf complaint checked out.

But Hay revealed Darren is almost certainly in the same boat as Craig Brewster in that he won’t see action here.

“The specialist has told Darren he is suffering from bruising in the calf and we’ll see how he progresses,” said the manager.

“Derek has more chance of playing on the trip than Darren, who hasn’t done much training, but I wanted to keep the players together and would rather have Darren do his rehab here with us.”

Hay pronounced himself more than happy with the progress made so far by his new charges.

He said, “Looking at the way we played against East Fife the other night the lads seem sharp and bright.

“We’ll get a more severe test on Sunday because of the quality of opposition but the general fitness levels seem, at this stage, to be well on the way towards being ready for the start of the season.

“Match fitness is what we need to give them now because owing to the adaptability they showed last season I don’t think we’ll have much work to do as far as shape is concerned.”

Hay continued, “The lads know the kind of systems we are liable to use so that’s not much of a concern.”

On paper at least the two toughest games of this tour—with Heracles and amateurs Vogido coming up in the latter half of the 10-day visit—are first on the agenda.

But Hay is unperturbed by that running order.

“It was arranged this way before I came to the club and I just accept the schedule as it is,” he said.

“I have no problem with having the so called easier opposition at the end.”