ALLAN JOHNSTON has heaped praise on his Pars stars for putting their play-off destiny in their own hands – and has urged them not to throw it away.

Dunfermline head to Inverness tomorrow knowing that a victory will guarantee their place in the Championship’s top four and a shot at promotion to the top flight.

They travel north having won six of their previous eight matches but, ahead of the Highlanders’ match at Dumbarton on Wednesday, defeat – combined with John Robertson’s side winning the rest of their remaining games – would see them pipped at the post.

But Johnston is in buoyant mood and, speaking to Press Sport this week, he said: “The boys have worked really hard to get themselves in this position so we’ve got to make sure we don’t waste it and take our chances.

“It’s one to be excited about. With the way we’re playing just now, the players are going into every game expecting to win.

“It’s a great position to be in and I think the pressure’s all on Inverness. They can’t afford to have any slip-ups but we can’t afford to have any either; we’ve got to make sure we’re right at it.

“To be fair to the boys, they’ve worked incredibly hard and you can see how focused and determined they are to get results.

“It’s always a hard place to go and it’s surprising when you see the start to the season they had with the players they’ve got.

“But we’ve got top players as well and, when you see the form table, the way we’re playing and the wins we’ve got, we’re all looking forward to the game.”

He added: “We respect the opposition; we do our homework and make sure we’re prepared fully, but it’s about us. It’s about us turning up and putting in the type of performance, energy levels and quality we have in recent weeks.

“The fans have been great and it’s amazing the impact supporters can have on players. When they get behind the players, they try things and are not afraid to make mistakes.

“In the away game at Falkirk they almost sold out that whole end and there’s nothing better than that as a player. Hopefully, it’ll be the same at the weekend.”

Callum Morris and Tom Beadling will be assessed ahead of the game, while long-term absentee Sean Murdoch visited a specialist this week.