Dunfermline could hand debuts to Jordan McMillan and Kyle Hutton for Tuesday's Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash with Kilmarnock at East End Park.

Captain Austin McCann is included in the Dunfermline squad after recovering from a hamstring problem while Paul Burns returns after being sidelined with a dead leg.

Manager Jim McIntyre is without long-term absentees Paul Gallacher, Nick Phinn, Steven Bell and Steven McDougall.

McIntyre is hoping a run of three successive home fixtures can be the turning point in Dunfermline's battle for survival .

The Pars are yet to win a home game this season, but with Rangers and Inverness visiting East End Park in the coming weeks, McIntyre is hopeful his team can put such poor form behind them.

"It's about time we got a home win to get the monkey off our back and to stay in the league we have to put a run of results together," McIntyre said.

"There is a big incentive for us to win against Kilmarnock as we would move off the bottom of the league.

"You have to be confident and positive going into a game; we know that Kilmarnock have good players so we will have to be at our best to win the game."

Michael Nelson is a major doubt for Kilmarnock.

The powerful defender sustained an ankle injury at Hibernian on Saturday and will have a fitness test in the morning of the game.

Midfielders Gary Harkins (ankle) and Danny Buijs (calf) and defenders Alex Pursehouse and Ryan O'Leary (both knee) remain on the sidelines.

Killie manager Kenny Shiels has been stung by the reaction to his "honest account" of recent matches.

The Northern Irishman took stick in some quarters of the media for criticising the negative tactics of Ayrshire rivals Ayr United after Killie had eventually overcome the Irn-Bru First Division side 1-0 in the semi-final of the Scottish Communities League Cup final at Hampden.

After losing 1-0 in the William Hill Scottish Cup fifth-round to Hibernian at Easter Road on Saturday, Shiels claimed that time-wasting by Hibs keeper Graham Stack wrecked Kilmarnock's hopes of a cup double, which again brought criticism.

The Killie boss claims his honesty has backfired on him to the extent that he sees it as a "fault" rather than a virtue.

"I give an honest accurate account of how I see a football game and when I am asked questions I always give an honest answer," he told Press Association Sport, ahead of the trip.

"I don't like being evasive. I have to give a clear picture.

"But I see that as a fault in myself because I am getting slaughtered.

"I was slaughtered for what I said about Ayr, which is 100% true, I got slaughtered for what I said on Saturday. It hurts when they do things like that

"I shouldn't take that personally but all I am doing is giving an honest account of how the game went and sometimes you have to talk about time-wasting if it is there and it has a major impact.

"And what I said was true, and people have to understand this."