The scarves are dug out and the optimism raised as a new season starts. Who will be heading to the game in hope but home disappointed today?

And the season starts off with Queen of the South manager Gordon Chisholm having to cope without Jim Thomson for the visit of Raith to Palmerston. This is a legacy from last season when Thomson had to serve a two game ban. However, Chisholm will have former Rangers youngster Stephen McKenna in his squad after he joined the Doonhamers this week. Chisholm believes that his players will kick-off the league season in an optimistic frame of mind following last Saturday's emphatic 4-1 cup win over Queen`s Park at Hampden. He said: "It's our first league match and it's at home, so I'm looking to get three points on the board early. We've already had two cup matches and won them both, but come Saturday we'll have to switch onto league mode. Raith Rovers have just been promoted so they'll be a bit of newness about the fixture and I'm led to believe we haven't played Raith for over four years. However, we'll be showing them the respect they deserve even though they've just come up."

Manager John McGlynn is used to guiding players in the top flight so he is heading on the right Direction with newly promoted Raith Rovers. He plans to stick with the philosophy that brought him success in the Second Division by sending his team out to attack every opponent. Raith have trimmed their first team squad down to 16 players, but McGlynn believes every club will be keeping their costs down. He said: "The plan is not to change the system, but I'll assess our players and our opponents as the season goes on. If I feel I need to change it, then I'll do that as I see fit. "The whole of Scottish football is in a situation where there is not a lot of money. Teams are virtually going bankrupt all over the place, and there's many in debt, so has anyone got the squad they wanted?" McGlynn expects to add a new face to his squad in the next few weeks once his loan target, an SPL striker who has agreed on a move to Stark's Park, recovers from injury. While keeping the name a secret McGlynn said: "I'm waiting on the player we've agreed to take and I'm hoping he's only a couple of weeks away from being back to full fitness."
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