Jefferies applauds Kenny decision

The Rugby Park boss believes the Pars have successfully followed the same route as when Jimmy Calderwood succeeded Dick Campbell in 1999. The former Birmingham player had been a successful coach in Dutch football and guided the Fife club to the Tennent's Scottish Cup final in 2004 and the UEFA Cup. But Dunfermline have struggled since Calderwood joined Aberdeen after the Hampden Park defeat by Celtic. However, following the arrival of Kenny from Derry City, Jefferies believes Dunfermline are back on track. He said: "I met Stephen at Tynecastle and he'll take in as many games as he can to find out about Scottish football because it is new to him. There will be very few games he will miss. "Dunfermline have gone down this route before and the appointment of Jimmy was a bit of a surprise. "We knew him as a player at Birmingham and he was working in Holland but it came out of the blue. "They have gone down the route of trying something different. "I have heard good things about Stephen and he has done well in Ireland. "He will not be able to do it overnight at Dunfermline. "With the resources and injuries they have had, it will take time." Jefferies will be without striker Gary Wales for the weekend visit of Dunfermline after scan results showed a slight tear in his hamstring. He said: "Gary had a scan which showed a partial tear, but, although he could train and possibly play, there was the danger it could get worse. "I can't afford to lose him with some of the games we have coming up. "He is extremely doubtful for this weekend, but, as it is a partial tear, it should clear up in a couple of weeks. "But we have Colin Nish back from suspension and he was doing well before he got suspended."