James McPake is mindful that it wasn’t so long ago that football was being played behind closed doors due to the Covid pandemic.
Now the Dunfermline manager is preparing his side for a preseason friendly that is expected to be watched by upwards of 6,000 fans.
It helps that their opponents, second-tier German outfit St Pauli, have a cult following that will attract an unusually high away crowd for preseason.
Our pre season schedule 👇
🏡 FC St Pauli
🚌 Cove Rangers
🏡 St Johnstone
🏡 Heart of Midlothian
🚌 Alloa Athletic➡️ https://t.co/Mp6JoOUjys pic.twitter.com/eyXwFi4CVv
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) June 14, 2023
It also helps that the Pars are in a good place – hoping to take the momentum from their assured League One title win into their Championship assault.
Friday night’s friendly has come about due to the connection with Dunfermline’s sporting director Thomas Meggle, a former player and manager with St Pauli.
Buzz from Dunfermline and St Pauli fans
“It’s great,” said McPake. “The fans are excited, there is a buzz both from our fans and wherever the fans are coming from to support St Pauli – Germany, England, Glasgow and elsewhere – it is going to be a good night.
“It is a fitness exercise where we will come out and play in front of a decent crowd and you’d rather that.
“We take big crowds for granted but if you think back to Covid, we were all playing football with nobody there – or 20 people there – but now we are looking forward to a friendly on Friday night with a crowd in excess of 6,000 there.
“We should just enjoy these nights as a football club, as a fan base – but for the players it is an exercise to go out and work hard.”
Pars players return
After a well-earned break before carrying out their personal fitness plans for the last few weeks, the Pars players are now back at the club being tested and taking part in group sessions.
📸 The boys are back 🤩 pic.twitter.com/hnpdDOTDEj
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) June 19, 2023
Last season’s success brings with it a step up in quality as the Pars prepare for their return to the Championship.
The preseason fixtures are more difficult too. After Friday’s friendly there are clashes with St Johnstone and Hearts ahead in the coming weeks before the Viaplay Cup group stage starts with a televised Fife derby.
“It is a great time to work tactically and on things in the game that we want to see throughout the season,” added the Pars manager.
Slight change in focus
“Last season the focus was on coming in and getting back to winning ways, now we can polish that up a bit and start seeing some more of the ideas that we are trying to put across.
“We were only getting to know them last year. Dave wasn’t in from the start either so I had to just come in and get to know them.
“We know them very well now, we know just how far we can push them and we want to push them.
“You are getting time to go through a lot of stuff that you can go back to in a season. It is a really good time with no pressure on a Saturday.”
