ATHLETIC boss James McPake has been named as the Glen's Vodka Championship Manager of the Month for March.

He has been presented with the accolade, his first such honour of the current season, after his team picked up four wins from their six matches played during the month.

Dunfermline have recorded victories in the last three outings - against Dundee United, Greenock Morton and Arbroath - ahead of this weekend's clash with Partick Thistle.

McPake who three monthly accolades last term as he guided the Pars to the League One title, adding to one he picked up in the Championship as Dundee gaffer in March 2021.

Dunfermline Press:

He joked: "It’s great. The kids enjoy playing with them!

"I think they’ve got three or four each now, but they’ve maybe been wondering why none have been brought home this season!

"Look, awards are good and personal awards are good, but without the fantastic staff I’ve got working beside me, or the players, then I wouldn’t be sitting talking about it."

In recent weeks, Dunfermline's well-documented injury problems that have haunted them throughout the season have started to clear, with only Aaron Comrie and Craig Wighton currently on the longer-term absence list, although both players have returned to running in training this week.

A stronger pool of players to choose from has helped Athletic's upturn in form, which has produced five wins and a draw from their last eight outings, and McPake continued: "The biggest thing is when you watch training with that big group and almost all your players training then you enjoy it.

"That’s no disrespect to the other ones but it was tough on them when they were having to train every day and then play every Saturday carrying knocks. You couldn’t give them certain games off or nurse them through certain things.

"Good players make training easy as a coach. When you watch training like that you maybe get a wee bit annoyed and wish you’d had that squad for longer this season.

"I enjoy training and I enjoy watching good players in training, and over the last period we’ve certainly had that.

"The players enjoy it because the standard of the training has gone up. It just gives you the chance to work on a lot more and do a lot more in the sessions."