UNACCEPTABLE.

Austin McCann, the Dunfermline Athletic captain, spoke for just over three minutes and used the word three times. Different clubs have their own way of dealing with a crisis but the motto at East End Park is clear: Honesty is the best policy.

There was no hiding place for the Dunfermline players in the aftermath of a harrowing 90 minutes. The 3-1 scoreline does not begin to tell half the story of a game controlled from start to finish by St Johnstone. "The score flattered us," was the brutal assessment of Jim McIntyre, the Dunfermline manager.

McIntyre made sure he got his point across. He questioned the "fighting spirit" of his side, who remain rooted to the bottom of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, yet McCann took it a step further. Ashen-faced, he spoke honestly about a precarious situation Dunfermline show no signs of escaping from.

"It's very disappointing, unacceptable to be honest," he said. "We are meant to be fighting for our lives but in the first half we certainly didn't show that. We were probably lucky to go in 2-0 down at half-time. We rallied a bit after half time and put them under a bit of pressure, but it was too little too late and we shot ourselves in the foot by conceding a third.

"Everybody knows the situation we are in. A lot of players are out of contract and we are fighting for our own lives, not just the club's future. We have to go and do the business between now and the end of the season. That defeat was an example of what is unacceptable."

Belief could be key to Dunfermline's chances of survival. They looked beaten long before the final whistle and that probably worried McIntyre most. His side may be told on a daily basis that they are favourites for relegation but they cannot afford to give up.

"We have to believe we can stay up," said McCann. "We are fighting for our lives here and there are careers on the line. The club is desperate to stay in this league. I don't know what would happen if we went down."

McCann wore the armband proudly on Saturday and McIntyre will rely heavily on his influence in the coming weeks. The left-back is happy to lead by example and is driven by a desire not to be viewed a failed captain.

"I do feel a responsibility to lead to a certain extent but it also has to come from individuals," he said. "You can't expect one person to get you up for games. You need to do that yourself and I include myself in that."

McCann was part of a Dunfermline defence carved open in the first half as St Johnstone swarmed all over them. Following several fine saves from Chris Smith, Murray Davidson finally broke the deadlock and Callum Davidson swept in the second. Paul Burns' curling effort was more than Dunfermline deserved but Lee Croft's emphatic finish killed the contest.

Steve Lomas, the St Johnstone manager, ran out of superlatives for his players but is also attempting to control rising expectation levels. Now only nine points behind third-placed Motherwell, with a game in hand, St Johnstone remain in contention to finish behind the Old Firm. The chaos currently enveloping Rangers and lingering doubts over their hopes of being granted a European licence for next season could even open an unexpected route to the Champions League qualifiers.

"Champions League qualification is not something I'm thinking about," laughed Frazer Wright, the St Johnstone defender. "If we get a wee run together, you never know. We just need to secure the top six first and once we're in there, we'll have a look and see what needs to be done."