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DUNFERMLINE are celebrating a trophy double – but boss Allan Johnston insists he will not be happy until he has some real silverware in his hands at the end of the season.
Johnston was named the Championship manager of the month for August and was joined by winger Joe Cardle, who lifted the player of the month award.
The Pars have kicked off the season in impressive form, winning their Betfred Cup group and surging to the top of the league with accomplished victories over Inverness Caley Thistle and Falkirk in recent weeks.
#Dunfermline celebrate a double as Allan Johnston & Joe Cardle win @Ladbrokes #SPFL Championship manager & player of the month awards. #DAFC pic.twitter.com/WI6S0cObAl
— Capital City Press (@CCP_sport) September 7, 2017
However, Johnston is fully aware it is just the start and he has called for further improvements from the Fifers, who have scored a remarkable 31 times in just 11 games so far this term.
He said: “It’s always great to get rewards, I’m not going to lie.
“But the most important thing is winning the league and getting promotion. That’s where we want to be.
“It’s been a good start to the season, but we just can’t lose our focus, we have to make sure we keep on playing with the quality and pace we’ve been playing with.
“We’ve been scoring a lot of goals and, defensively as well, we’re not losing goals, so at the moment we’re in a good place.
“As a manager, you get these awards because the team’s doing well. It’s not an individual award, like a player’s award.
IMPORTANT
“It’s about everybody pulling in the same direction – the staff, the supporters, the players – most importantly – and a lot of people behind the scenes as well.
“You’re just really accepting it on behalf of everyone else.”
Dunfermline travel to face Morton on Saturday before hosting St Mirren and Dundee United, with a trip to face Brechin City in between.
Having seen off newly-relegated Inverness 5-1 and last season’s runners-up, Falkirk, 3-1 during August, Johnston hopes it will be a successful September.
He added: “It’s an important month. We’ve got a lot of hard games, playing against the top teams, and we’ve got to raise our level again.
“But the players are capable of that. They’re playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and we’re looking forward to every game.”
