Jim McIntyre may make St Mirren rue the day they could not afford to sign him tonight.

St Mirren travel to Fife to take on Jim McIntyre's Dunfermline in the CIS Cup tonight which will allow Buddies boss Gus MacPherson to lock tactical horns with someone he tried to sign last year. MacPherson wanted his side to benefit from the experienced McIntyre but could not compete with the financial package available from Dunfermline. Former Dundee United forward McIntyre took over the managerial reins from Stephen Kenny when the Irishman was sacked as manager last season. After steadying the ship following Dunfermline's poor start to their first season back in the First Division last term, McIntyre has taken them to fourth in the table this season, despite injury problems. MacPherson expects the nous of his former Kilmarnock team-mate and the quality of Dunfermline's squad to make it a tough shift for his players. He said: "We tried to bring Jim in at the start of last season, we were looking for an experienced striker to come in and help with the younger players. But financially we couldn't compete with Dunfermline. Knowing him from the time I played with him, he has a lot of knowledge and experience and he is now passing that on."

MacPherson believes McIntyre is already proving himself to be a good manager. he went on: "It's a good division to learn in if you get results. He has made an impact. Just recently he has received a lot of plaudits from his chairman. It's a job you have got to learn and learn quickly." Saints caused upsets when they were in the First Division, most notably a 3-0 cup win over Motherwell. While they may be not be an SPL side, MacPherson knows Dunfermline are too strong a squad to be classed as underdogs. He said: "I think they have got more players that have played at a higher level than we had. Players that have represented their country. Jim McIntyre has brought in fresh faces like Andy Kirk and Graham Bayne, guys with good experience who know how to play. They also still have players like Scott Wilson and Greg Shields, good experienced players, good professionals. It will be a tough game."

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