GOAL hero Nikolay Todorov insists that Athletic won't get ahead of themselves despite closing in on the League One title.
The 26-year-old's 11th strike of the season set his team on their way to a 2-0 victory at Peterhead on Tuesday night, a result that has left them on the verge of making an instant return to the Championship.
A victory at Balmoor, coupled with Falkirk failing to do so in their match at Montrose, would have sealed the deal in the north east, but a victory for the Bairns has ensured the gap between the teams remains 11 points with 12 to play for.
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Three points against Queen of the South at KDM Group East End Park on Saturday will wrap up top spot, regardless of how their nearest rivals fare against Airdrieonians, but Dunfermline will be crowned champions regardless if Falkirk fail to win.
"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves," he said post-match at Balmoor.
"We've been like that the whole season, so we just want to focus game by game, when Saturday comes. Now, we will rest, we'll recover, we'll come in Thursday and Friday to prepare for Saturday's game.
"Hopefully we can give the fans another win and see where that takes us. We're not thinking ahead of ourselves."
The supporters may be thinking of clinching the title this weekend, but Todorov, who praised the fans' "incredible" backing, continued: "I think now we're 20 games unbeaten and we want to continue that.
"We're not looking at it that way (title); we want to continue making history with the club and this team because the boys, the staff, everyone involved, have been brilliant.
"We're not looking at it, just that we need three more points. We want to finish the season on a high.
"We've got four more games left, and we want to take maximum points out of it."
Todorov, who felt he should have had a penalty in the first half when he went over inside the box, only to be booked for what the referee perceived to be simulation, made his first starting appearance since February at Balmoor.
He was delighted to cap it with a goal, which was his final act of the game, as he, alongside Chris Hamilton, were substituted for Craig Wighton, who scored the second goal, and Chris Mochrie.
Both changes were readied prior to his strike, and Todorov said: "The conditions were horrible. I think I took a first touch, then another one, before I finished it, but I managed to do it quickly, and not give the goalie a chance to set his feet. I tried to hit it as quickly as I could so he couldn't set himself.
"I'm just happy to contribute. It's a tough place as I said and the first goal I thought was really important, and set us off. Then we went and killed the game with the second.
"I went out there and gave it my all. It's a tough place to come with the conditions. They've made it a horrible game, but I know about them myself, so there's not a problem.
"Whatever the manager decides, we are one team."
He also had words for Dunfermline's travelling support, adding: "'ve played a few times here, obviously with different teams, and I've never seen so many people coming up.
"It's a long journey. We've done it ourselves and it's a long journey. The day was nice, but the weather at the game wasn't nice, so fair play.
"The whole season, the fans have been brilliant, with me personally, and backing up the team, so it's been incredible to see them turning up for this game.
"Hopefully they turn up in numbers for Saturday's game."
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