JOHN HUGHES wants the opportunity to take Dunfermline "where it wants to go" despite seeing them relegated to League One.

A season to forget for everyone at East End was brought to the feared conclusion yesterday when Simon Murray struck an 89th minute winner for Queen's Park in the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.

That sent the 10-man Pars, courtesy of Efe Ambrose's red card for a foul on the goalscorer just shy of the hour mark, back to the third tier for the first time in six years.

READ MORE: Pars relegated to League One after Spiders hit late play-off winner

A campaign which started with talk of challenging for the title under Peter Grant, who left his position in October with the club struggling at the foot of the table, ended with his successor unable to prevent the dreaded drop.

There was an angry reaction from the home fans at time-up as the Athletic players sunk to the turf, whilst the joyous Spiders celebrated reaching the final, where they play Airdrieonians for a place in the Championship.

For Dunfermline, they join Queen of the South in being demoted to a division that will feature bitter rivals Falkirk, and promoted League Two champions Kelty Hearts, who they will meet for the first time on league business.

When asked post-match if he wanted the opportunity to try and get the club back into the Championship, Hughes, who signed a contract until the summer of 2023 when he was appointed in November, said: "I definitely want the chance. I want the chance to really take this club where it wants to go. That's the reason I'm saying that. No-one's bigger than the football club.

"This club is a really good club with good, passionate supporters, and we've let them down that's for sure, this season. Not today; we've let them down this season.

"We need to regroup, go again, and get them smiling again. It's not going to be easy, I get that, but once the dust settles, even as players, we need to come back, roll the sleeves up, and be committed to getting the club back in the Championship.

"I'll say for the whole club, everybody, the community, everybody at the club - we're all in it together, we're all hurting with feeling.

"Emotions are very high, there's a blame game goes on - we just need to keep calm, sleep on it and make sure that, no matter what we're doing, we're making the right decisions for the club going forward in the future.

"The first thing I'll look at is myself. I'll look at all the stuff, what have I done right, done wrong, what could we have done better.

"I talked about the blame game but there's not any excuses either. You have to stand up, man up and stand up to it.

"That's why in there you don't say too much. They're raw, they're hurting, they're definitely hurting, and we just need to take the medicine."

Hughes insisted that Athletic's failure this season is a consequence of their whole season, not just after yesterday's tie, which ended with them failing to score in 180 minutes against League One's fourth-placed team.

"First and foremost, in terms of today's game, we said that we needed to play at high tempo. If we were going to get beat, we would beat ourselves. It turned out that way," Hughes said.

"I said that at half-time.

"We created enough chances. In terms of effort and commitment, I think it was all there, in terms of creating chances, it was there, even at 1-0 with 10 men, we had a wee half chance, but it's not on today.

"It's been right through the season and we all have to stand up and look at it. It's very, very raw, and the emotions...we're all hurting in there.

"You don't say too much to the players. I just think, the consistency of performance from us, you can't turn it on and off as a tap. You owe it to yourself and each other.

"You've seen us when we were very good, and went, woah. We need to be like that every week, so that's something I have to look at and say why are we not doing that?

"That's not taking anything away from the opposition that try and stop you.

"There's not too much to say and do. We're hurting, I feel for the fans, feel for the club, we need to take it on the chin, take your medicine, but it's our job to try and get this club back where it belongs.

"I'm quite sure over the next few days there will be a lot of banging heads together, but we have to be very clever in what we're doing, be very smart in what we're doing."

Hughes did feel that the tie changed on account of Ambrose's red card, given by referee Craig Napier for a foul on Murray as the forward sought to race in on goal.

"It was a red card. I didn't think so when I was coming off the pitch, I was saying to him (the referee), but when I look back - I never really seen it - it's a red card, so he's got that right," he noted.

"But, as I say, that's what we said at half-time - don't beat ourselves. That's concentration and discipline, and it just so happens to be big Efe. It's been other players, but it just so happens, in a big game today, it was Efe. You feel for him.

"He's good about the boys, about the dressing room, and you really feel for him.

"It was Efe today but it's been one or two things, wee bits and pieces of mistakes and all that stuff, so, listen, we're all in it together.

"You win as a team and you lose as a team."