WITH the transfer window open, Stevie Crawford has said he “won’t rule anything out” as he bids to strengthen his squad.

The Pars head coach tied defender Aaron Comrie down on a new contract this week but, recognising his players will be “tested” with the number of games left between now and the end of the season, insists the club will strive to add if they can.

There has been further national speculation this week linking skipper Euan Murray with clubs in the top flight but, asked about whether he hopes to make any new additions – either permanent or on loan – Crawford said: “We’re working behind the scenes.

“It doesn’t guarantee that we’ll get anything over the line in January because I know that there’s a number of things that you have to overcome but I feel we have really good conversations with the chairman.

“We’ve come through the first third there, we’ve still got two-thirds to go, and I think we’re going to be tried and tested over that period. If we can do something to help the squad then it’s something that we’ll look to address.

“I’ll not rule anything out.”

Despite the disappointment of seeing the New Year derby with Raith Rovers postponed due to a frozen pitch, the big matches keep coming for Crawford’s men, which includes three in less than seven days.

They go to Greenock Morton – the only side to have beaten them so far this season – in the Scottish Cup on Saturday, before returning to Cappielow next Friday evening for a televised league clash.

In between, on Tuesday night, is a trip to Tynecastle to play Championship leaders Hearts, and Crawford continued: “I said after the draw was made that Cappielow’s not an easy place to go to and we know it will be a very testing game.

“We went up to Arbroath and we enjoyed a really competitive fixture after getting through the group stages of the League Cup, and it will be the same application and attitude required to go through to Cappielow and try and progress in the Scottish Cup.

“I think in the four games they’ve had under Anton (McElhone, caretaker manager), Jim McAllister, Chris Millar and Brian McLean, I think they’re all helping on the coaching side of things, they’ve had two wins and two draws.

“That’s the bit that sticks out to me. They’ve hit a good bit of form themselves.

“I was at the Alloa game (with Morton) on Saturday and it was a good, competitive game of football. I think Morton will probably be a little bit disappointed having scored quite late on from the set play that Alloa managed to get the equaliser in the last 10 minutes or so.

“They’ll be playing with a good bit of confidence, they seem to have a set style of play that they’re playing at the moment, and we’ve got to make sure we’re hitting the levels that we did in the Inverness game to go and give them a game and a run for their money.”