By Jim Davie

SCOTT MORRISON will have to put friendships aside when he lines up for his competitive debut for DUNFERMLINE away to Hibernian this afternoon.

The new Par has played alongside several of the Easter Road starlets for the Scotland Under-21 squad and knows at close quarters just how good they are.

“I know a few of them and get on quite well with them,” said Morrison. “They’re a good bunch of lads. I have played and trained with Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, Stevie Whittaker and Garry O’Connor so I have first hand experience of what we’re going to be up against.

“The other lads have played against them as well and know their capabilities.

“Although the Hibs’ players are young, they have a year’s more experience so that will help them and I don’t see any reason why they won’t be a threat to everyone again this season.”

The biggest danger to the Pars could come in the form of Derek Riordan, and the former Aberdeen defender may find himself in direct opposition to one of the country’s hottest properties today.

“He’s really good at coming out wide to get the ball so I think we’ll have to try to deny him the freedom to do that,” said the former Don.

Morrison found himself out of favour with former Dunfermline boss Jimmy Calderwood last season and didn’t feature for the Pittodrie side. No matter how well he did in training or reserve games he was never going to feature in Aberdeen’s first team.

It was a disappointing year for the Aberdonian and he is eager to make up for lost time with his new club.

“I can’t wait for three o’ clock,” he said. “I’ve settled in well here and the boys have been great. I feel as if I’ve been here a while.

“The day-to-day set up is similar to Pittodrie but it’s good to feel good again about training.

“I’ve put last year to the back of my mind.

“This year it’s a fresh challenge and it’s good to know that if you’re doing well and training hard you’ll get your reward.”

The Pars underachieved and flirted with relegation last term and face difficult away games to start the season. Morrison is under no illusions about the task ahead.

“It’s a tough start for us,” he commented. “Hibs were third best team in Scotland last year, but the boys have been looking good in training and in pre-season so there’s no reason why we can’t get something out of the game.

“Hopefully we can make a good start and take it from there. It’ll be a close league.

“If we do well the confidence we get from that will be great.

“The lads are treating last year as a dip in form because the two years before that they finished fourth and fifth so we’re hoping to get the club back up there.

“It’s in the past and it’s forgotten about.

“We have a strong pool of players so there’s no reason why we can’t do well. A lot of teams in the SPL are around the same regarding standard of squad.

“I’m really relishing the season getting under way.”

Dunfermline boss Jim Leishman is also looking forward to the big kick-off, even though his side are immediately pitched into a tough encounter against the Edinburgh men.

“They’re a passing team, but they’ll let us play as well,” said Leishman.

“My target at the moment is survival and once we’ve attained that I’ll set another target of finishing as high in the league as we can.”

And he is still on the look-out for new faces to supplement his squad.

“I’m in talks with four players at the moment,” revealed the East End Park gaffer, “three British players and one foreign player and I would like to get at least two of them in.

“Our front players are very similar in stature—Noel Hunt, Simon Donnelly, Mark Burchill and Derek Young—so I would like to get a robust type of striker who would give us aerial options.”

The Pars’ manager still has a doubt over Lee Makel for today’s game, but will give the influential midfielder every opportunity to make the side after he broke a bone in his hand on the Fifers’ pre-season trip to Italy.

Otherwise, Dunfermline have no other injury concerns.

Hibernian defender Jonathan Baillie is the only absentee for the visit of Dunfermline.

The Easter Road youngster is suffering from the toe problem which dogged him last season.