Tight-knit dressing room key to Pars’ early season surge: Clark

DUMBARTON 0 DUNFERMLINE 4

Nicky Clark insists Dunfermline’s tight-knit dressing room can prove key in the battle for promotion to the Premiership.

The Pars climbed to the top of the table after wiping the floor with sorry Dumbarton at the Rock.

Goals from Joe Cardle and Kallum Higginbotham set the Fifers on their way with ex-Rangers striker Clark and Andy Ryan on target after Sons defender Andy Dowie was sent off.

Clark wants Dunfermline to maintain their impressive start and believes the off-field chemistry can make all the difference on the pitch.

The 26-year-old said: “The boys have done brilliantly. The dressing room is full of confidence just now and we have to maintain that.

“Last season we made a sloppy start but we have got off to a flying start and we need to keep working hard in training and getting results on a Saturday.

“It’s a really close dressing room and in football that’s massive. The boys that have come in and have made a difference.

“That’s us at the top of the league. The aim at the start of the season was to get promoted and it’s up to us to make sure that we stay there.”

The Pars are having no problems finding the back of the net and Clark, back after a month out following ankle surgery, reckons his side have a number of threats going forward.

He added: “I don’t think we got enough goals from other areas of the park last season but it’s great to see all the boys doing well and scoring goals. Wee Joe is flying, David Hopkirk is scoring goals and you’ve got Declan McManus, Kallum and now I’ve got one and Andy has scored as well.

“As a striker you always want to score goals but the most important thing for us was to get the win.”

Cardle opened the scoring after Dowie had twice cleared the ball off the line with Higginbotham firing home to double Dunfermline’s advantage.

It was over for the Sons when Dowie saw red for a second bookable offence. Clark headed home a Hopkirk cross before he backheeled into the path of Ryan who added a fourth goal.

Dumbarton boss Stevie Aitken will bring in a striker on loan this week with his side looking for their first league win of the season.

He said: “We’ve known that we’ve been lacking a goal threat.”