THE only way is up for the Pars according to derby hero Nicky Clark – even if he admitted to making a mess of burying the Rovers.

The 25-year-old set Athletic on their way to victory in Monday’s clash at Stark’s Park by netting his seventh goal of the season, but felt he should have wrapped up all three points before Lee Ashcroft’s 77th-minute clincher.

Clark was unable to add to his emphatic first-half header after the half-time break and could easily have had a hat-trick were it not for Raith keeper Kevin Cuthbert, one of whose many saves to deny the striker was made with his feet when Clark was played in by Kallum Higginbotham’s superb back-heel.

It didn’t matter in the end as Dunfermline jumped up to sixth in the table and, with just six points separating them from fourth-placed Falkirk, Clark reckons his team-mates can begin to look forward rather than just over their shoulder.

“His [Higginbotham’s] back-heeler was brilliant; it would have been a great goal had I not made an a*** of it,” he reflected.

“Unfortunately I never scored. He was brilliant; I am just surprised that he can jump so high for all those headers. Everybody can see his ability, how good he is and it is good to have him in there beside us.

“We have players in the team that can create chances like that for you. I am disappointed not to take them but I am not surprised at all with the chances we created. We have been doing that recently and we just have to take them.

“We have said in the last few weeks about where would we be had we had a better start. I think we are gelling well as a team and I think everybody is performing to a good level just now.

“I should have scored more but that’s football; you score some and you miss some, but the important thing is to get the chances. I am sure that I will take more of them.”

On a potential push for the promotion play-off spots, Clark continued: “Definitely, that is our aim. Dunfermline is a massive club and we want to push on and get to the play-offs at least. We are working hard in training every day and the performances are starting to turn up for us.

“Confidence is a massive factor in football and our confidence is high just now. In the dressing room, all the boys are flying and looking forward to every game.

“It was good to get the goal; we have worked on it in training, it worked well and it was a great start for us. We kicked on from there and I don’t think at any point it looked like we were going to lose the game.

“It was a great result for us and it pushes us into sixth in the league. We knew that three points could be massive and I thought the boys, to a man, were brilliant.”