PARS boss James McPake is relishing renewing acquaintances with a fierce foe whilst reflecting on an "exciting" fixture list.
This morning, the SPFL released the match schedule for the 2024/25 campaign across all four divisions, which kick off in August, with the Pars opening theirs at Livingston.
The relegated Premiership outfit, for whom McPake previously played in his career, will entertain Dunfermline on Saturday August 3.
A week later, bitter rivals Falkirk - who followed in the footsteps of Athletic from 12 months earlier by winning League One - arrive at KDM Group East End Park for a blockbuster first home of the Championship season.
With Fife derby rivals Raith Rovers also paying a visit on match day five, supporters can look forward to a mouth-watering sequence of games, and McPake commented: "It's exciting, whoever you play.
READ MORE: Pars fixtures for new SPFL Championship season revealed
"It's a tough (opening) game. Twice we'll be at Livingston in the space of a few weeks (in the Premier Sports Cup and then the league). They're the newly-relegated team so they're coming down with that tag, but Davie (Martindale, Livi manager) has been in the league before, he knows it, so they'll be prepared and they'll be ready.
"Then you look through all your usual dates - kids birthdays, wife's birthday, Christmas, New Year - and looking at them, I can all but ruin every single day!
That's the plan, to put a wee asterisk next to the important dates!
"Then you've got to remember Falkirk and Raith Rovers are there as well and you go and find them.
"It's exciting and I heard the players talking about it, and saying maybe that one will get moved to a Friday night. It brings a buzz.
"I think I got them about seven o'clock this morning and I just woke up, had a message come through, and I was half asleep so I had another look when I got back into the club. It's good.
READ MORE: Kelty's SPFL League One fixtures revealed
"They're great. Monty's (Gary Montignani) had them printed and laminated them up everywhere so people can see them, but you soon reel it in.
"The excitement goes when you remember we're at East Fife tomorrow night, and we've to get through the next four games, get the players fit, and then it's tough games in the cup where you need to work your way through, and then it's away to Livingston in the first game."
On the prospect of hosting the Bairns after their opener in West Lothian, McPake added: "I think the two atmospheres will be slightly different; going down to Livingston, no disrespect, but we're looking forward to the Falkirk games.
"I'm maybe biased because the results were better than against Raith Rovers but the two of them, being a derby, bring good atmospheres, good games to be involved in.
"There's an excitement that builds around them, which is natural in derbies, and it'll be good to see them again.
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"They're at home on the Friday night in their first game, to Queen's Park, so that'll be a big night for them, like Airdrie was coming here was for us last season. There was extra energy around that game.
"They'll be buzzing for their first two games as well so we'll try and take care of these friendlies, then the cup, Livingston in the cup, then the Livingston game, and it'll be a great crowd out there for that Falkirk game.
"Whether we start great against Livingston, whether we're good in the cup and start great against Livingston, or whether we lose every game in the cup and get battered off Livingston, it'll still be a fantastic atmosphere out there. I'm looking forward to those games.
"I said it in League One as well, that it was a shame it's not, for Scottish football, one of our big games. It took me coming to this club to understand that.
"Everyone that's been involved in them, you quickly understand just how big those games are. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them got put to the Friday night (for television coverage) as well. Can you imagine that on a night time game? It'd be great. Raith, Falkirk, whoever.
"We just need to make sure we're at it."
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