CAPTAIN Kyle Benedictus sees no reason why Athletic can’t be challenging for another promotion after celebrating the “biggest achievement” of his career.

The inspirational skipper and his team-mates clicked into party mode on Saturday afternoon as they clinched the League One title after a sparkling 5-0 demolition of Queen of the South.

They went into the game knowing that three points would clinch it, and the team delivered with their most emphatic league victory of the campaign, in front of nearly 6,000 adoring supporters.

Kane Ritchie-Hosler and Matty Todd had them two goals up at the interval, with Craig Wighton’s brace, and a Kevin O’Hara effort, putting the icing on the sweetest of cakes.

Relegated last season, Dunfermline have bounced back to the Championship at the first attempt and summer signing Benedictus, who has previously won the second tier with Dundee, and League One with Raith Rovers, said this success would be a moment he’d “treasure forever”.

The 31-year-old has played in every minute of Athletic’s League One fixtures so far, helping his team keep 20 clean sheets in 33 matches, and said: “I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a team that’s got so many clean sheets.

“That starts from the front. I think that work that Wighty (Craig Wighton) puts in, Lewis McCann, Matty Todd - you can see the work they put in.

“It started from the first day we came in in pre-season. The gaffer was very big on it, about working hard, and if we work harder than teams, they won’t be able to live with you. I think we’ve done that all season. To put it all together, come out and put in a performance like that, I think it was truly justified.

“I’ve won a couple of things but, to play every single minute of every game so far...I managed to win the league with Dundee, and I played 18 games. At Raith, it was the Covid thing – I couldn’t lift the trophy or anything.

“To go and play every minute of every game, and captain the team to the league, is a moment I’ll treasure forever.

“It’s my biggest achievement so far. Next year, who knows what can happen? Looking at the Championship this year – and I don’t want to get too ahead of myself – but you look at that Championship year, how tight it is, and who’s to say we can’t be up there next year?”