Aaron Comrie insists the Dunfermline players all share their manager’s positivity they can haul themselves out of their current slump and avoid relegation.
Saturday’s miserable 3-0 defeat to Queen’s Park followed swiftly on from the previous week’s demoralising 5-0 hammering from Morton.
The struggling Pars have now not won in their last eight matches and have lost their last four home games.
In fact, they have emerged victorious just once from their last nine outings at East End Park and the supporters’ reaction told its own tale.
However, boss James McPake was defiant after the full-time whistle, despite his side slumping to second bottom in the Championship.
He is realistic enough to know the Fifers are now firmly mired in a relegation battle.
But, perhaps bolstered by hopes of the arrival of two new signings this week, he has confidently claimed Dunfermline will beat the drop.
And, despite the bitter disappointment of another setback, Comrie is convinced he and his team-mates can prove him right.
‘Enough quality at DAFC’
The full-back said: “We tried to come out and play the game in their half, we tried to be bit more direct, we tried to get crosses and shots in – but it just never happened for us.
“We kept going, trying to get us out of this position.
“It has been a really poor run but there is enough quality in there to get us out of it.
“We are all backing each other. The quality just needs to come out.
“Confidence needs to lift and hopefully next week we can get the fans onside early doors, put pressure on Arbroath and lift the pressure off us.
“Obviously confidence will be low with the run that we’ve been on but we tried to come out and give the fans something to cheer.
“There was a lack of quality but the fight was there. We really are trying. Hopefully things will turn.”
That Arbroath meeting on Saturday has now taken on even greater importance.
A win could be enough to lift Dunfermline up the table again and relieve the building stress.
Defeat, however, would haul the Red Lichties at the bottom to within three points of the Pars.
‘No hiding’
Comrie, who has returned from a calf injury a fortnight early in a bid to help his team, added: “It needs to try and be a positive week.
“We will look at the [Queen’s Park] game and see where we went wrong, what we can do better.
“There is no hiding away from it, it is a massive game next week. We will be under pressure so it is up to the boys to step up and show their quality.”
The mood in the stands at East End Park on Saturday was toxic as soon as Queen’s Park grabbed the lead with Jack Turner’s header in the 66th minute.
The sight of former Dunfermline favourite Dom Thomas curling a sensational shot into the top corner for the Spiders’ second nine minutes later only deepened the depression settling over the support.
Those who were left at the full-time whistle vented their anger following a third goal for the visitors from MacKenzie Carse.
Comrie accepts the fans have been right to hit the boos in recent weeks.
He said: “It is not nice getting beat. You don’t want to see that reaction. We know how many good players are in there. That’s the frustrating thing, it’s not quite coming out.
“I can totally understand why that’s the reaction. As players, we need to try and change that and give them stuff to cheer – try and turn it around and win games.
“Once we do that, I’m sure they will come with us and try and back the team.”
