Jim Jefferies insists Dunfermline could still hang on to Danny Grainger this summer, despite the body blow of failing to win promotion to next season’s lucrative Championship.
Grainger joined the Pars on a short-term deal in January after cutting short his one-year contract at St Mirren and played a key part in helping the East End Park men reach their play-off final against rivals Cowdenbeath.
However, having come up short in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to the Blue Brazil, a result that consigned the Fifers to another season in League One and denied them the financial boost of clashes with Rangers and Hearts, question marks now hang over the future of the 27-year-old.
The former Hearts, Dundee United, St Johnstone and Gretna player has previously spoken of his satisfaction with life at Dunfermline, and Jefferies now faces an anxious wait to see whether the defender will settle for another season in the third tier of Scottish football.
He said: “I’ve spoken to Danny. We were negotiating for next season, although a lot of that was dependent on us going up.
“But he’s not ruled it out after Sunday. He’s going to wait and see what his options are. He’s enjoyed it at Dunfermline, his wife likes the area, and he will have to weigh up things over the summer.
“That’s not just financially, but also in terms of football, because he didn’t come to Dunfermline for financial reasons. We’ll keep in touch and see what happens, but I would say there’s still a chance he could stay with us.”