ALLAN JOHNSTON has urged Pars supporters to turn out in force and roar their team to a derby win that would close in on Championship survival.

And the Athletic boss admits that he wants his team to pick up the results they need to make sure of their place in the league as soon as they can so he can begin preparations for next season’s campaign in earnest.

Dunfermline go into Saturday’s game with Raith Rovers three points ahead of their eighth-placed Kirkcaldy rivals – and six clear of bottom team St Mirren – on the back of a credible 1-1 draw with title favourites Hibernian.

The Pars have now lost just twice in 17 league games and, with a trip to Dundee United to follow on Tuesday, Johnston knows that they are nearing towards being out of the relegation equation.

But speaking to Press Sport this week, he commented: “We’re not looking at all that to be honest with you; we’re just looking to try and get as many wins as possible. Obviously Saturday’s a big one because they’re only three points behind us and we can put a bit of light between ourselves and them with a win – six points is a massive difference, especially at this stage of the season and with a game in hand as well. It’d be great to get into that position.

“It was a great atmosphere at the weekend; I really enjoyed it and it’s much better when the stadium’s got a lot more fans in and there’s good noise. It does bring the best out of the players and hopefully it’s the same big numbers this weekend and we get three points this time because, the quicker we get results, the quicker we can start planning for next year and hopefully start talking to players and get them signed up again. We’ve got good players and they’ve shown that with the recent run we’ve been on, but sometimes we just need to be more clinical. If we manage to do that then I’m sure we’ll be up there next year.

“You’re always going to lose games but the Ayr game (which Pars lost 1-0) for example, we were in total control and how we never won, I don’t know. There’s been loads of other games where we’ve had chances to win and never, but they’re the games we need to learn from and, next year, make sure we win.

“We’ve really improved since the start of the season. That’s what you’re looking for and we’ve got to make sure we continue that week-on-week and finish the season on a high.”

Johnston, who will be without John Herron due to suspension on Saturday but says the midfielder will need to be assessed before Tuesday’s game at Tannadice after picking up an ankle knock against Hibs, praised his players for coming back at the weekend but warned against complacency against Rovers.

He continued: “They had a really good start and have got a lot of good players; they don’t become bad players overnight. There’s a not a big gap between us either so that shows you how tight the league is, and it’s an important one to try and get a result from.

“I saw them not long ago against Hibs; it was one of Yogi’s (John Hughes) first games. It was a draw and they played really well so we’re going to have to make sure we don’t get complacent because it’s going to be a really difficult game.

“We have to take it just one game at a time, focus on ourselves and make sure we get the three points. You can see how hard we’ve worked in the last two games but we need to that in every game and make sure we have that desire and workrate. If you match teams like that then, with the quality we’ve got, I’d expect us to win.

“Anyone can beat anyone on their day so we’ve got to make sure we don’t let our standards slip. We’ve got to be focused and give everything we’ve got because, when you drop the standards, that’s when you get beat.”