Published: Thursday, 2nd July, 2009 11:39am

Busy pre-season programme planned

by Jim Stark

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Cowdenbeath will have a busy July as they prepare for the start of the new season.

The opening fixture of the campaign will be on Saturday 25th July when Cowden travel to Second Division Peterhead in the Alba Cup.

They follow this up with a CIS Cup tie at home to Morton the following Saturday before the Barrs Irn Bru Third Division kicks-off on Saturday 8th August at East Stirling.

Before that all gets underway manager Danny Lennon hopes that his men will be tuned up through a varied pre-season programme.

This Saturday he has arranged a match with First Division Partick Thistle which will be played at Edinburgh University"s Peffermill.

The following weekend he hopes to organise a two day trip to St Andrews where he intends Cowden will meet local junior side St Andrews United and another First Division side Dunfermline Athletic.

Then on Wednesday 22nd July Cowden will meet Lothian Thistle at Saughton Enclosure and on Tuesday 28th July Premier Division St Johnstone will visit Cowdenbeath with a 7.30pm start.

Said Mr Lennon, 'The St Andrews weekend may have to move back a week but I should know more about that this week.

'We are playing varying standards of opposition in the build-up and all of the squad will get a chance to show what they can do.' Joining in the pre-season training is new acquisition Gareth Wardlaw. The striker helped Raith Rovers to lift the Second Division title last season having previously been a regular marksman with Ayr United

The manager said that he will augment his strike force of John Gemmell, John Dempster, Graeme Brown and Paul McQuade.

Meanwhile he is very aware that there will be no easy games in the two cup-ties before the big league kick-off.

He said, 'Peterhead were in the play-offs looking for First Division football last term and are a strong side, while Morton finished in the middle of the second tier of the Scottish game and are a very good side so we will be thoroughly tested before we go to East Stirling.

'The league programme will pose the same challenges as last season and we will look to get off to a good start.'