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Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon has agreed a deal to continue as manager of Dunfermline Athletic for the next two years.
The 53-year-old was brought in by the Pars in March with Dunfermline struggling to maintain their place in the Scottish Championship.
However after guiding the club to safety he has now accepted the offer of a two-year contract, with the aim of leading the Fife club back into the top flight of Scottish football.
Lennon admits the initial spell was a way for the club and him to establish whether it was a partnership that could prove successful.
"We came in at a difficult time and some of the performances were good, solid, but weren't spectacular by any means, so I want to change that," he said.
"We only scored 28 goals in 36 games. That's something that has to be changed overall. The players were good, their attitude was good. We liked it, we enjoyed it.
"But now this is a different challenge, one that we want to start looking up the table rather than over our shoulders. There's rebuilding work that needs to be done, but we want to do that incrementally."
Lennon, who has also managed Hibernian and Bolton Wanderers, will remain in charge at East End Park until the summer of 2027 along with his assistant Iain Brunskill.
He was initially appointed four days after the sacking of Michael Tidser, with the Pars sitting in the relegation play-off spot in the Championship having won just once in eight games.
Tidser had lasted only 60 days after Dunfermline had negotiated a compensation fee with League 1 neighbours Kelty Hearts.
Lennon had himself been dismissed by Rapid Bucharest in August after only three months in charge of the Romanian top-flight club.
The the former Northern Ireland, Celtic and Leicester City midfielder said he "does not like to make predictions" but that he would like the Pars "to be challenging around the top" next season.
"That's going to take a lot when you consider that two Premier League teams have come down into the division," he added.
"Allied to that, you've got Ayr United and Partick Thistle, Raith finished the season really strongly, Morton are consistent.
"So it's an attritional league, but we have to find the players that will give us the edge in games."
"This is an important moment for Dunfermline Athletic," said Pars chief executive David Cook.
"Confirming the appointment of Neil is a clear statement of our intent to build something meaningful and competitive.
"His leadership during the latter part of last season was outstanding, and he brings a wealth of experience, professionalism and presence that has already made a significant impact around the club."
