NICKY CLARK, with an outstanding individual performance, might just have sparked a late Dunfermline surge for the play-off places.

However, while the Pars might be heading for loftier climes, Mark Docherty’s Dumbarton career appears to be at a crossroads after a remarkable confrontation with team-mate Stuart Carswell.

Clark scored four times to take Dunfermline 12 points behind fourth-place Morton with two games to come against the Greenock side in the remaining 11 fixtures.

It would be a remarkable achievement if they bridged that gap but if they can replicate Saturday’s performance they have a chance.

Clark, who has his sights set on former club Queen of the South tomorrow night, said: “We are looking up the table now and we have been doing that for the past few weeks, to be fair.

“We have a few really big games coming up. The next three or four games are massive for us and our season as a whole.

“We want to keep this form going and close the gap on the teams above us more than anything.”

Clark scored with three great headers in the seventh, 61st and 79th minutes while his fourth goal was a well-paced shot six minutes from time, emulating a four-goal blast for Rangers against Forfar in a 6-1 League One win on December 3, 2013.

He said: “Scoring goals is what it’s all about as a striker. It’s great on days like Saturday when it helps the team get three points because that’s the main thing.

“The second one was a wee bit lucky, but I’ll take it. The deliveries into the box were brilliant. That’s what you need as a striker - good service.

“That’s what we’ve got at the club. We have boys with really good ability in the wide areas who can put good balls into the box.

“Myself and Michael Moffat are also doing well up front together. We seem to have struck a good partnership, so there’s plenty of creativity in the team.

“It shows the strength of the squad to have guys like Gavin Reilly coming off the bench and he can consider himself unfortunate not to be playing.

"He has done really well since he arrived at the club. But the team is doing well at the moment, so it would be hard to change that.”

It was Dunfermline’s second goal – am excellent strike from Paul McMullan – that sparked the on-field set-to between Docherty and Carswell when the former appeared to headbutt the latter, forcing his withdrawal with a bloodied nose.

Manager Stevie Aitken has indicated that he will take action once he has complete clarity on what happened with the benefit of video footage.

However, Docherty’s future with the Sons must surely be in jeopardy after such thuggish behaviour.

Clark believes the confrontation was borne out of frustration as Dunfermline were so dominant, with Dumbarton’s only crumb of comfort a late Daniel Harvie consolation.

He said: “Some of the boys were saying to me what had happened. That’s part and parcel of football. You get fights here and there. But usually it’s on the training ground rather than in a match.

“It shows that they care, but they maybe shouldn’t do it when there are fans around. It is pleasing from our point of view because it shows we have frustrated them and we were well on top by the time it all happened.”