PETER GRANT insists that he is the right man to lead Athletic and is desperate to prove it by turning their season around.

And the 56-year-old is “100 per cent” convinced that his team can still challenge for the Championship promotion places despite sitting bottom after eight games without a win.

Last week, the East End boss, who was appointed as Stevie Crawford’s successor in the summer, was given a vote of confidence by the board following a late defeat to Queen of the South before the international break.

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The end of that match saw a section of the travelling support voice their displeasure at Grant and his players as they left the field, with the Pars four points adrift of eighth-placed Hamilton Academical, and 10 behind fourth-top Raith Rovers.

Speaking to Press Sport for the first time since the club released a statement backing him, in preparation for tomorrow’s visit of Kilmarnock, Grant is determined to repay their faith – and insists they can still push for promotion.

“Nothing will give me greater pleasure than turning it all round and making everybody happy, having the supporters coming back and enjoying their football and victories,” he said.

“I genuinely believe I am the right guy for the job. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have taken it when they asked me to come and speak to them.

“I wanted to work at a club that could possibly win this league and I’ve got an opportunity to try and do that, but to do that, you have to win games of football.

“I’d love to turn it around and nothing would give me greater pleasure, not to prove anybody wrong, but to prove everybody right that I was the right guy for the job.”

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When asked whether he believed Dunfermline could still challenge for at least a promotion play-off place, Grant replied: “Absolutely. 100 per cent.

“If I didn’t think that I wouldn’t have come in the first place.

“I expected to be much higher; I expected to be challenging to be the champions. That’s what I want to do.

“I know I have players that’s capable of doing that for me but we have to get a performance. We have to get a result, and you’re hoping you get that result sooner rather than later.

“But, no matter what, I know the players at this club are more than capable of winning performances.

“I know from my own personal point I have to start winning games very very quickly.”

He continued: “We want to be first. I’ve said that. That’s the pressure, that’s why I wanted to come here and be the manager because I think we’re more than capable of doing that.

“That’s why I understand everybody’s frustration. When you play at bigger clubs, with a bigger support, the expectation is much bigger.

“You can only produce that on the football pitch and we’ve not been able to do that in the league programme. The performance level has not been at the levels that I expected from this group, and that’s been disappointing because I know I have the players that’s more than capable of that.”

Grant spoke at length with chairman Ross McArthur and sporting director Thomas Meggle following the defeat at Palmerston, adding: “For me, I’m very proud to be the manager of this football club, and I want that to continue, but I understand you have to win games of football to make that continue. I understand the disappointment of the supporters; I’ve constantly said that.

“I wanted to win every game, I want to be sitting top of the league. That pressure comes from myself.

“Every game you want to win and every game you don’t win, there’s more pressure on, whether it’s Peter Grant or anyone else.

“We know the rules of the game.”