East Fife player-manager Gary Naysmith has been assured his job is safe despite suffering relegation to League Two.
The Bayview side dropped to the SPFL basement following a 3-2 aggregate play-off defeat against Stirling Albion on Sunday a miserable end to a campaign which saw the club win just four regular season matches following Naysmith’s appointment in December.
Chairman Lee Murray is adamant Naysmith remains the right man for the job and hopes relegation will prove a catalyst for change as they look to improve standards at the Methil club.
The Bayview chief said: “I gave Gary an 18-month contract in December and we have a two-year plan for building this club. His job is certainly safe as far as I’m concerned.
“Gary has worked hard to clean up the mess here and get the football side of things running the way it should be and, on a positive side, he has done that and we are ready to start afresh. The difference from the start of the season to now is unbelievable.
“We have [signing] targets already and we will be fitter, meaner and stronger next season. Hopefully we can give the fans a winning team next season which challenges to come straight back up.
“They’ve had to put up with mediocrity for six seasons and maybe we need to take a wee step back to take two steps forward.”
Murray was locked in talks with several out-of-contract players during a meeting last night, with a substantial exodus expected.
He continued: “It’s time to clear out and start again. I think all of our players and I include the ones that are staying should be looking in the mirror. They have let themselves down, the fans down and the club down.”