JAMES McPake says the Pars are facing a "big summer" with the squad that secured a place in the Championship with a match to go set for a major revamp.
They were hanging on at the end against an Inverness side desperate to claw their way out of the drop zone but a goal from captain Kyle Benedictus and a penalty save - incredibly his fourth in a row - from Deniz Mehmet helped get the point they needed to be safe.
Sub Aribim Pepple's late strike gave the visitors hope and they poured forward in search of the win but it's now Caley who are in the relegation play-off spot.
READ MORE: Four penalty saves in a row for Deniz as point for Pars ensures they're safe
The pressure is off the Pars but McPake wasn't satisfied after his team limped, in more ways than one, across the line.
He said: "I’m happy we’ve guaranteed Championship football.
"Probably now you can see why through the week I was cautious in saying it wasn’t all done.
"With the Queen’s Park result, had we lost the game it would have been a nervy game (against Ayr this Friday).
"I’m not happy with five minutes to go we were hanging on at home just for a point to secure a place in this league but if you take things into context and look at the injuries and everything that came with them, the last time we were in this league we did get relegated.
"So, it’s a consolation but we got the point. "We were disappointed in the level of performance again and we know there’s a lot of work to do - and it’s going to be a big summer.”
With three games to go there was still the possibility that Athletic could have been promoted, or relegated, via the play-offs.
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Neither will now happen, Pars will remain in the Championship, but McPake is looking for a major improvement after an up and down campaign.
"You’re going to have moments in the season when things are tough but we certainly can’t use the injuries for last week’s performance or today’s performance," he said.
"It’s two home games and two points, that’s the disappointment. We need to work hard now.
"We’ve got another game to go and then we’ve got time to rest a few players, get a few players up to speed.
"Then it’s going to be a big pre-season and a big season next year.”
Departures are inevitable with the loan deals coming to an end for Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Chris Kane, Miles Welch-Hayes, Owen Moffat, Ben Summers, Brad Holmes and Xavier Benjamin.
English clubs are apparently lining up bids for Josh Edwards while some fringe players may want to ship out - or be ushered towards the exit door - in search of more regular football.
There's talent coming through, if the Reserve Cup win is anything to go by, and good young players already showing their worth in the team, such as Chris Hamilton, Matty Todd, Paul Allan and Ewan Otoo, while Andrew Tod looks a prospect and there are solid performers in the likes of Benedictus and Mehmet.
Not many in black and white impressed against Inverness though.
In the first half the visitors' intensity was far greater than the Pars, they hustled and pressed, forcing the home side backwards and into making basic errors.
It was high energy stuff but Inverness didn't actually create much. The ref waved away soft penalty claims when Cammy Kerr ran into Edwards and tumbled to the ground while Benedictus blocked an Alex Samuel shot after appealing for an offside flag that never came.
It was the 23rd minute before Dunfermline fashioned a chance, Kane's shot on the turn forcing a stop from Mark Ridgers, while Moffat showed neat skill to skip away from two men but couldn't beat the goalie.
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James Carragher had a header pushed over the top by Mehmet before the skipper made the breakthrough in the 41st minute.
Inverness failed to clear a corner, Pars recycled possession and Paul Allan floated a lovely cross to the back post. Benedictus did the rest, steaming in to bury a header in the net.
Todd almost made it 2-0 in the 50th minute but, after being set up by Moffat, he drilled the ball low and hard and saw Ridgers deflect the ball over the bar with an outstretched leg.
Moffat was penalised for handball but, with that spot kick record, Dunfermline fans had faith and Mehmet rewarded them again, diving to his right to smother Billy McKay's weak effort in the 54th minute.
However there were some fingers pointed when hesitation allowed Pepple to nip in between Fagan-Walcott and the goalie to poke the ball into the net in the 76th minute.
Duncan Ferguson's men launched wave after wave of attacks in search of a winner and it was desperate stuff from the Pars, who resorted to booting the ball anywhere in a bid to hang on.
It wasn't pretty - and Benedictus and Fagan-Walcott deserve immense credit for coping with the aerial bombardment - but they got it done. Just.
McPake reflected: "Today we needed Bene and Deniz showed his value to the team – that's four penalties in four that he’s saved.
"He had some big saves at key moments earlier in the game which stopped it being even more nervy.
"It’s a point, we’re safe, and we have a chance of finishing fifth. That’s the aim.”
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