ATHLETIC manager James McPake has paid tribute to the club's "incredible" support and has promised that his team will continue to give "absolutely everything" for them.
Following the club's stunning League One title success, fans have been flocking to buy season tickets for the upcoming Championship campaign, with numbers already having smashed through the 1,000 barrier.
In addition, only a limited number of seats remain available to purchase in the North West Stand, with existing season ticket holders having until noon on July 1 to guarantee their existing spot.
That show of backing has thrilled Pars manager McPake, who described the uptake in briefs as "amazing", commenting: "The fans have been incredible, even last year.
"I can remember coming in and I was a bit apprehensive, and a bit not sure how it's going to go, on the back of it. I had that experience at Dundee as well, where you're taking over a team, and that's what happens in football.
"You come in and you just don't know it would go, what the expectations would be of the fans, being in League One, and I think they realised we were in it because we deserved to be in it. They realised we were going to need them right behind us from the start to pick those players back up as well.
"That was the main concern. I wasn't too bothered about how my appointment would've been, because I believe in the work and what we do. To be honest, I'd taken a blow as well, losing a job, and you're hurting when that happens.
"It was important that I just got stuck right into the work, worked as hard as I could, and that's what we did.
"Thankfully, the fans got behind us. I remember the Alloa game we lost on penalties here (in the group stage of the Viaplay Cup). That was very early in the season. We beat Montrose 1-0 with a late Nikolay (Todorov) goal, and it wasn't sepctacular. It wasn't free, fast, flow-football, but it was exactly what we said it would be in the first interview - it was leaving everything out there.
"Any supporter can relate to that, any manager needs that and wants that, but, when you see the fans getting behind your team just solely down to the way they're working hard, then I think that's the only thing you can control.
"You can't help mistakes, you can't score wonder goals, you can't predict last minute goals like Lewis McCann's here against Clyde - those things are down to the hard work.
"I'm a firm believer in that. That's the one thing we'll promise this year again. I can't promise a lovely big podium on the pitch, I can't promise being wherever, but what we can promise is that the 11 we pick, plus the changes we make, that they'll all come on and give absolutely everything for this fantastic support.
"We continue to do that, they'll continue to back us."
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