Michael Paton has backed manager Allan Johnston to steer Dunfermline away from trouble and up the Championship table.
Paton is in his second spell working under Johnston and assistant Sandy Clark, having been part of the Queen of the South side that won the Second Division in 2013.
He repeated that title triumph with Dunfermline in League One last season and was confident the Pars could ‘make their mark’ on the second-tier this term.
But the Fifers are currently languishing in eighth spot as they head to face second-bottom Dumbarton this afternoon in a key encounter, seeking just a third league win of the campaign.
Three years ago, Johnston left Queens after winning promotion to join Kilmarnock, but Paton is convinced that the former Hearts and Kilmarnock winger can spark a revival at Dunfermline.
He said: “There’s no doubt in my mind we’ve got the management team to turn things around.
“I know what the manager and Sandy bring.
“They bring team spirit, they bring togetherness and the quality of player they’ve brought in has been brilliant.
“I’ve played in this league before and two or three wins will get you back in contention at the other end of the table.
“We can’t keep just saying that, but we believe in ourselves and we’re not worried.
“I’m more than confident in the squad we’ve got.
“If you look about the dressing room, there’s competition for every position.
“Whichever starting 11 the gaffer picks, you look on the bench and any one of those boys could be in the team as well.
“That’s how competitive it is, and we’ve definitely got the quality to remain in this league and make a mark on it as well.”
Dunfermline have won just one of their last nine league games and after last weekend’s 3-1 home defeat to Hibs a number of boos could be heard from the Pars support.
However, Paton insists there is no-one hiding from the task in hand as they bid to turn things around.
The former Aberdeen striker added: “Nobody’s more disappointed about where we are than the players and the staff.
“But it’s us that need to do it on a Saturday and we have to keep working hard towards turning it around.
“We’re doing that. There’s no week that we’re coming in and thinking ‘oh, no, here we go again’.
“It’s always upbeat, we’re ready to go. The manager and Sandy have always got the boys buzzing for the games.
“So, it’s just up to us to make sure we put things right on a Saturday.”
One of Dunfermline’s two league wins of the season came against today’s opponents, way back on the opening weekend of the Championship campaign.
A 4-3 victory hinted at better times to come, but only St Mirren have been seen off since.
Paton is optimistic, however, that the return fixture can herald a new dawn for the Fifers.
He said: “It’s very difficult down at Dumbarton. I’ve been there many times and it’s a hard place to go and get a positive result.
“But no matter who the manager picks as a front six we’ve got the players to go and create and score goals.
“And hopefully Saturday is when we kickstart our winning streak.”
