Billy Brown takes greater care in interviews these days.

The image of the East Fife manager prowling in front of camera, snarling about the abuse his players had suffered during a home defeat by Stenhousemuir last month is one which is hard to shake, not least since the footage has gained notoriety online and led to a request for an interview from Sky.

He was more relaxed yesterday, victory in a play-off with Peterhead which keeps his side in the Irn-Bru Second Division for another season and the promise of a family holiday in Majorca making him a far cuddlier character at Balmoor. Yet he still made one comment which is worth recording for posterity: "We didn't succeed, we were playing on the back of failure."

The East Fife manager spoke warmly of a narrow aggregate win over Peterhead and the goal from David Muir which supplied it, but Brown was keen that his players did not feel too pleased with themselves. After all, the campaign foundered on a run of 14 matches without a win – including that infamous defeat by Stenhousemuir – with yesterday's victory only the club's fourth this year. Muir's goal, when the defender turned in Craig Johnstone's corner three minutes into the second half, was a bright spot, but one which only stood out given that it was found in the shadows of an otherwise uncomfortable campaign.

"That [win] may be good for the spectators but it's not good to be involved in – I'd never been involved in play-offs before," said Brown. "It's a relief, really. We got one or two breaks today that we've not been getting. We didn't succeed, we were playing on the back of failure."

East Fife might have been left to spend the summer on the back of disappointment, too, with Peterhead contributing to a troublesome tie. Rory McAllister went close inside the first two minutes, Andy Rodgers' shot was cleared off the line later in the first half, while Scott Ross also hit the side netting with a low shot.

"We lacked a wee bit of quality when required," said Jim McInally, the Peterhead manager. "I'm gutted for them. To lose it in that manner was disappointing."