Talking up the bond between players has become common around East End Park.
It goes beyond words, having been in evidence all season – and it extends to the staff and support.
After the recent win over Queen of the South, there were scenes reminiscent of when the Pars won the First Division in 1995/96 – even down the commemorative T-shirts.
Serial record-setting Dunfermline goalkeeper Ian Westwater was between the sticks that season and sees a similar team spirit among the current crop of players.
He’s based down south these days but gets up to Fife when he can and is a member of the club’s ex-players committee.
No superstars
“Westie” was also inducted into the club’s hall of fame in 2010 for his two spells at the club where he racked up 361 appearances, during which he won a Second Division and two First Division titles.
“When you read the comments and interviews with the players, there’s definitely that culture and ethos there at the moment,” Westwater told Courier Sport.
“There don’t seem to be any superstars, they all seem to be working together. It’s always refreshing.
“Teams like Dunfermline, that’s what they need. They need a team spirit and they need a togetherness.
“They’re not going to go and buy themselves out of trouble.
“They’re not going to buy a superstar striker who is going to slot in 30 goals a season.
“You need to have a camaraderie, and they appear to have that. When I was playing, that was absolutely the case.”
Trophy day
Dunfermline are gearing up for the League One trophy presentation when they take on Clyde this weekend.
One league match remains after that, before a summer break leading into their return to the Championship.
Manager James McPake has recruited well so far, but still has work to do to put out a team capable of competing.
This is another area where the Pars will be required to channel the spirit of 1996, when Westwater played under Bert Paton and assistant Dick Campbell.
“We always recruited quite well, to be honest,” added Westwater.
“There’s no real coincidence in successful recruiting.
“It’s not down to luck – you recruit players that you think are going to fit into the team spirit and the dressing room.
“When Leish [former manager Jim Leishman] was there, and when Dick and Bert were there, they definitely had that skill and that knack of supplementing and complimenting the squad of players that they had.
“There weren’t too many failures in their recruitment. The spirit in the dressing room was brilliant, it was absolutely fantastic.”
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