John Hughes urged Hibernian fans to head across the Forth Bridge for tomorrow's opening pre season friendly match at Dunfermline (10 July, kick off 3pm, for ticket info click here) and promised the club will field a strong side.

The manager admits there will be plenty of competition for places in the squad during the 2010/2011 season (for Season Ticket info click here) and that starts at East End Park.

Hughes said: "After the 'bounce' games against Morton and Dundee, the squad have all had 90 minutes now heading into the Dunfermline match.

"We hope we get a good turn-out from the supporters; it is always a nice trip across the water.

"Everyone is looking forward to it. The whole squad will be going over there and we will be trying to get them all a game.

"We are coming to the stage now where they are all realising that there is competition for places.

"We will try one or two different formations during the game, but I think we've still got a way to go in terms of sharpness and our passing. We've still got a lot of work ahead of us.

"Dunfermline will be a hard game, but it is all part of getting us ready for Europe.

"The pre-season plan has been a great structure; a lot of planning has gone into it.

"We know where we want to be and understand how hard the tour of Holland is going to be - playing against four very good teams.

"We are going to have to up a gear when we go over to Holland, but that is the reason why we have taken the games on."

Hughes revealed that defender Steven Thicot is the only injury doubt ahead of the trip to Fife, but confirmed long term injury casualty Merouane Zemmama (knee) is still unavailable.

He added: "We are injury free at the moment apart from Steven Thicot, who is feeling his toe at the moment. He is doing all the running sessions, but he is unable to take part in the ball-work.

"To be fair to him though, he is keeping his fitness up. (Merouane) Zemmama is still out. But apart from that we are injury free, which is pleasing."

The manager also admits he has been pleased with the work ethic and fitness levels shown by the squad during their first week back at the Training Centre.

He said: "The first week of pre-season training has been good - we've had to cramp a lot in.

"But the way we've managed to be able to do that is the boys have come back in good shape. That has shown in their fitness tests; on their third day back in, three of them have run the 'yo'yo' right off the scale.

"There is a really high standard with their fitness levels and they have been working very hard.

"The players appreciate what we've been asking of them and that has been coupled in with the ball-work as well. So it has been going really well."