Dunfermline are breathing a sigh of relief after it was revealed Ewan Otoo does not require an operation on his knee injury.
The former Celtic youngster sustained damage to the posterolateral corner of his left knee in the recent 2-1 defeat to Airdrie.
It instantly ruled him out of the remainder of the season as the Pars fought to avoid finishing in the relegation play-off spot.
The 21-year-old then faced an anxious wait to find out the severity of the injury.
He underwent scans last week and the Fifers consulted with two specialists over the possibility of surgery.
And both club and player have now received the welcome news that he does not need to go under the knife.
It means the midfielder, who had been virtually ever-present this term, will be back in time for pre-season training this summer.
“I’m happy to say we got good news from the consultant on Monday,” said manager James McPake, whose side can finish fifth in the Championship with a win over Ayr United on Friday.
“The injury is now settling down and we have been told Ewan doesn’t need an operation.
“He has been excellent for us this season and it’s great to know he’ll be back fit again to take part in pre-season training this summer.”
‘I don’t want to go down that route’, says Pars boss
Meanwhile, McPake has vowed to use his touchline technology positively – and not to berate match officials.
Like many clubs during matches, the Pars have been utilising a monitor in the technical area that gives a delayed live feed of the action on the pitch.
However, the Dunfermline manager is eager not to be drawn into taking advantage of the screen when controversial decisions go against his side.
Instead, the Pars boss says it will inform his medical team on injuries, and him and his backroom staff on tactical tweaks during half-time team-talks.
“I think the right way to use it is for the medical department to see what has happened,” he explained. “So, the doctor sits with it.
“I know a lot of teams sit and watch it. And, at times, we will ask a coach to go and look at something.
“But not so much with decisions, because I don’t want to go down that route of going up to a linesman or a referee and saying, ‘you got that wrong’.
“I don’t think that’s fair, and there’s enough of that in football. We’ve intentionally said we won’t use it to blame the officials.
“It is simply for us to look at and say, ‘is our shape okay? Where can we make the shape better, and where are the opposition hurting us?’.”
