Jim Jefferies will work for next to nothing in a bid to guide Dunfermline to safety, insisting there is no way he could abandon his beleaguered players.
The manager, who many believed would also be a victim of the cost-cutting which took place at East End Park yesterday, answered the plea of administrator Bryan Jackson to stay on.
Jefferies will take a huge reduction on his already modest salary at the club, admitting to a "sense of responsibility" to the players. He will now attempt to navigate the club to the end of the season and avoid relegation, which could become a realistic prospect if a substantial points deduction is handed down by the Scottish Football League as punishment for the club entering administration.
"I told Bryan Jackson I would stay on," Jefferies confirmed. "I've taken a [wage] cut but it's not about me, it's about helping the boys who are here. I brought a lot of these players to the club. This situation is about Dunfermline Football Club and I feel a sense of responsibility to the club.
"People have asked me why I've stayed, but the fans and players have been terrific. It's not right to walk away when the club is going through difficult times."
Jefferies was faced with a media scrum as he emerged from East End Park last night, clearly having been through the mill during an emotional meeting which lasted several hours.
He described the summit as "one of the hardest days I've ever had", recalling the deathly silence as eight first-team players and three youth prospects were told they no longer had jobs. Jefferies also revealed that he played no part in deciding who stayed or who departed, insisting no-one was dispensable in his eyes.
"It's a very sad day. It's one of the hardest days I have ever had," said the coach. "When Bryan [Jackson] asked me who I wanted to keep, I told him 'every single one of them'.
"I've spoken to the players who have been made redundant and wished them all the best. The process was done on finance, it was purely on that."
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