Martin eyes promotion after signing new deal

DUNFERMLINE: Defender confident Pars can push on despite tougher challenge

Lewis Martin insists Dunfermline can set their sights on another promotion push, despite predicting an even tougher Championship challenge next season.

The defender has penned a new oneyear deal to stay with the Pars for a seventh campaign after playing 26 times last term.

The 22-year-old helped the Fifers win promotion back to the second tier in 2016 after three years in League One and is eager to be a part of another promotion success at East End Park.

But, with Dundee United, who they lost to in the play-offs last month, Inverness Caley Thistle and Falkirk being joined by newly-relegated Ross County and Partick Thistle, Martin is under no illusions how difficult it will be in the division after the summer.

He said: “It’s going to be a tough league, with Ross County and Partick Thistle coming down.

“Most teams will be looking to get in the top four, at least, so it is going to be tough. But hopefully we can do it again.

“I think it will probably be harder than last season. Ross County and Partick will be good teams, Dundee United are strengthening.

“So, it is going to be a tougher league but hopefully we can come back, work hard in pre-season and go on from there.”

Dunfermline are facing a significant squad overhaul this summer, with skipper Callum Morris heading back south, top scorer Nicky Clark and winger Fraser Aird joining Dundee United, and the likes of Jason Talbot, Dean Shiels and Michael Paton departing.

However, with brothers Louis and Jackson Longridge being recruited on Friday and Lee Robinson, James Craigen, Lee Ashcroft and Tom Beadling signing new deals, Martin believes there is already the nucleus of a team capable of doing well.

He added: “We are not sure what the team is going to be, what the squad’s going to be, so we’ll get in for preseason, work hard, see who is here and I’m sure that we will have a good campaign.

“It is the same every year, new players come in and do well.

“A few years ago Nicky Clark came in, Kallum Higginbotham came in – a lot of players came in – and it will be the same this year.

“I’m sure that they’ll be good enough to step up, step in and hopefully push us as far as we want to go.”

Picture: SNS Group. Lewis Martin: signed on for another year.