It had seemed as though the bluster at East Fife had run out of puff.
The summer was shaped by change at the SPFL League 1 club but also rumour as the arrival of a new consortium seemed to encourage links to players like former Hearts defender Ismael Bouzid and erstwhile Portugal internationalist Nuno Gomes, only for more realistic targets such as Pat Clarke, Liam Buchanan and Joe Mbu to be brought on board. They brought with them the impression that there was a settled ambition among the club's investors.
The new board have not suspended their sense of imagination, though, and the latest player to alight in Methil was recruited simply through a determination to make up for a degree of disappointment. Gary Naysmith, the former Scotland left-back, has agreed a six-month contract with East Fife - his signature coming after the club failed in an effort to arrange a pre-season friendly with David Weir's Sheffield United. Naysmith could make his debut this weekend against Arbroath.
The defender - who played for his country 46 times - had been training at Hearts this summer without the prospect of a contract before his former Tynecastle team-mate, Weir, dropped his name into a conversation with Lee Murray, managing director at East Fife, as the pair endeavoured to find a suitable date for a friendly.
"David passed on Gary's number and we got in touch with him, and from there Gary said he was happy to come and speak to us," said the businessman, who led a consortium which purchased the club during the summer. "We have been chatting for about 10 days about it. We might not have got the friendly from Davie, but we have definitely got a cracking left-back."
The move is mutually beneficial since it is understood that Naysmith will discuss a return to Hearts once the Edinburgh club's registration embargo is lifted in February. He will continue to train with the Tynecastle first-team during the week - save for one day when he undertakes a session with his new side ahead of a game at the weekend. It is an itinerary which Murray is content to accommodate given the quality of player he has recruited.
"Gary believes he is as fits as he has been for a long time,"he said. "He is still a top quality full-back, and this is a win-win situation for everyone because he gets games under his belt and his experience will be terrific for us. Nobody has a bad word to say about Gary."
There were affectionate tones directed towards another player with connections to a club in Edinburgh yesterday, as Colin Nish signed for Championship club Dumbarton. It is a move founded on his relationship with former Hibernian team-mate - and now his new manager - Ian Murray, while the forward has also been afforded the role of coaching the newly-formed under-19 side.
Nish had been out of work since being released by Hartlepool United, his final season with the English side spent battling in vain against relegation while on loan at Dundee. "We have recruited a player who has a great knowledge of the game and who has proven himself at the highest level," said Murray. "He will also be a good influence on our youngsters in the under-19 team and also our coaching staff."
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