There are 15 points to play for and we want as many as we can get

Scott Mercer knows East Fife must take the majority of the 15 points left on offer this season. Pic by Michael Gillen

A 3-0 home loss to Alloa Athletic, coupled with Dumbarton taking a point against Montrose, meant the gap from bottom to ninth was increased to four.

But with five games of the season left, there are still 15 points up for grabs.

Defender Scott Mercer appreciates fully the scale of the task at hand but he believes the team has shown enough over the past couple of months to suggest they’re capable of ensuring a late twist in the season’s tale.

Reflecting on Saturday’s defeat first, he said: “We came out in the first-half and were good and competitive, there wasn’t much in it.

"We then lose a poor goal, similar to last week.

"The second one, I’ll need to see it back but I really don’t think it was a penalty.

"Then we don’t get one up the other end which is a stonewaller.

"These things change games and we don’t want to hide behind two decisions but, ultimately, it kind of kills us.

"We don’t have long left so we need to dust ourselves down and really kick on from now.

"There are five games left and we want to take as many points as possible.

"Since the gaffer has come in, defensively we’ve improved vastly.

"That’s no slight on Darren Young, but when a new manager comes in you get fresh ideas. There are improvements there and we need to have a bit of belief in ourselves that we can go and get points and compete.”