Dunfermline boss Jim McIntyre is confident his team can cope with the high burden of expectation when they travel to play Morton this weekend with the first division title within their grasp.
The Pars manager bases his belief on the way his players dealt with the pressure-cooker atmosphere of last Saturday’s Fife derby against nearest challengers Raith Rovers to come from behind to secure a 2-1 victory.
That win means another three points in Greenock would catapult Dunfermline back into the SPL.
He said, “We played exceptionally well and some of the football on show was very good.
“The lads handled all the pressure surrounding the game really well. Nerves will always play a part when it comes to the business end of the season but they coped excellently.
“But it is important that we recognise we have not won anything yet. Things can change so quickly in this game.”
He added, “We face a really difficult match at Cappielow. Morton have already beaten us twice this season so we will not need reminding about how tough the game will be.
“All we can do is concentrate on the game itself and try to forget about the occasion.
“If we do that, I am confident we will get a positive result.”‘Consistency’McIntyre is keeping his fingers crossed that Martin Hardie, who scored both goals against Raith, will have recovered from injury to play a part against Morton.
Hardie who had an interview with Sky Sports at the Pars’ Pitreavie training ground interrupted by prankster teammates has proved to be an inspirational signing, with former St Johnstone teammate Kevin Rutkiewicz and Liam Buchanan.
However, McIntyre was keen to point out that his entire squad deserve credit for taking them to the brink of promotion not just the relative new men.
He said, “Martin was struggling with a heel knock towards the end of Saturday’s game, so we will just have to wait and see how he is but he should be okay for the Morton matc.
“When we lost Steven Bell to injury, it was a big blow because he brings a lot of physical height and strength to the midfield as well as goals.
“So it was important that we tried to bring someone similar in to the club and Martin has been a key signing.”
He added, “We added other good players in the transfer window to the squad that we already had.
“I think at times people maybe think that is why we have gone on a good run but we had good players here before.
“It was just about putting the consistency levels together.”