PETER GRANT has identified targets he wants to bring to Dunfermline and is hopeful there will be signing news in the next week.

The new Pars manager, who is four weeks into the job since being appointed as Stevie Crawford’s successor, secured his third addition yesterday evening in the shape of on-loan Dundee United defender, Ross Graham.

He followed former Inverness Caledonian Thistle striker Nikolay Todorov – who netted his first goal for the club in Saturday’s 2-2 friendly draw with Lowland League Civil Service Strollers – and ex-United goalkeeper, Deniz Mehmet, in moving to East End, and Grant has been running the rule over a number of trialists.

There were five involved during last Wednesday’s opening friendly at Spartans, including former Sheffield Wednesday defenderIsaac Rice; former Barnsley centre back Ali Omar, who was red-carded in the first half; ex-Blackburn Rovers midfielder Ben Paton; Ally Taylor, formerly of Kilmarnock and brother of Celtic defender Greg; and goalkeeper Fraser Currie.

Grant, who also ran the rule over ex-Queen of the South midfielder Dan Pybus at the weekend, told Press Sport after the Spartans match that he would make decisions on those trialists quickly, and was looking to have news on new arrivals “within the next 10-14 days” from that point onwards.

“We know the players we’re looking for, we know the positions we need,” he explained.

“We’ve obviously got many things going on at this moment in time and it’s just a matter of making sure we make the right decisions, and I’ll never be rushed in that, because I think it’s always important that you bring in players better than the ones you have.

“We’ve got some very good young players that I’ve got an opportunity to see, and have been delighted with, but we’ve also got to bring boys in. The boys you’re looking into now is to try and win you the league.

“That’s what we’re here for, to try and win the league, so that’s the type of player we’re looking at.

“We’ve got a few (who the club are interested in) but you know what football’s like; you always think you’re close, and then someone else comes in, and then there’s a different reason for something, or somebody’s asking for something completely different than what they said at first.

“I think we’ll look for another five or six players, there’s no doubt of that. How quickly that happens, I don’t know. I’d love to do that tomorrow but how quickly that happens is really out of our hands in that respect.

“I know the players that I like, that I want and that I’m interested in. The chairman’s been excellent in backing us on that, and it’s just a matter of getting the clubs to agree and the player to agree to come because when you’re looking at good players, you’re not the only team that’s looking at them.”

Grant was thrilled with the arrival of Mehmet, who will battle Owain Fôn Williams for the number one shirt, and continued: “Deniz is desperate to do well – he’s found himself probably in second place too often, he wants to be a number one now. He’s got big competition with Fon in that respect but he’s a very good age.

“I watched him in the games he got in for Dundee United, and I spoke to Micky Mellon (former United manager) about him, and he was delighted with him.

“He needs that opportunity now and now it’s up to him to go and grab it but he knows he’s got a fight on his hands. That’s football; you’ve got to have competition everywhere.

“The biggest competition always should be on the training pitch because if you’re competitive on there, you’re going to be competitive on a Saturday. We’re trying to build something that, every day, they come into training and they’re fighting for their positions. I’ve been pleased with the way their attitude’s been.”