Dundee may be travelling all the way to Ayrshire to kick off the new season but a club closer to home is in the thoughts of captain Kevin Thomson.
The Dark Blues begin the Ladbrokes Premiership campaign with a trip to Kilmarnock today and Thomson is looking forward to an adventure that will take them all the way to next May.
One thing he would love to happen during the campaign is for the gap between the Dens men and their neighbours Dundee United to close completely.
That will be a wish shared by the Dundee fans because, while they finished just a place below Jackie McNamara’s side in the table (sixth to United’s fifth), they lost four out of five city derbies.
Thomson said: “United are a good team with a lot of good players and they also have a fantastic manager.
“They have been there for a long time and consistently finished in the top six.
“They have sold three of their best players so it’s a challenge but a new season is a challenge for every team.
“So we are looking forward to the derby games and I don’t think there was a big gulf last season.
“We want to overhaul them and I think we have the players to do that.
“The fans here are desperate for that – you see and hear that when you meet them.
“When we did beat them 3-1 last season, it felt like we had won a cup the way things were going.
“For me, it was just another three points, albeit from a derby, but having the supporters up here starved of that success for such a long time meant that winning that derby put smiles on people’s faces.
“So the aim for the boys is to make those smiles a more regular occurrence.
“The rivalry is intense up here. It’s not the Old Firm but because the stadiums are so close it is like having a bad neighbour.”
By the time the first Dundee derby is played at Tannadice on August 11, Dundee will have faced Killie at Rugby Park and Hearts at home in a week’s time.
So there is plenty of water to flow under the bridge before the city pair clash.
Thomson is only too aware of that and was keen to stress how difficult opponents the Rugby Park men will be this afternoon, especially now that they have re-signed his old Rangers teammate Kris Boyd.
Thomson said: “We have had a good pre-season and we just want to get started.
“There is expectation on us but there should be.
“Players should enjoy it because it keeps you on your toes and as long as it doesn’t get out of control it’s a positive thing.
“We are still a relatively new team but we did well last season.
“What we need to do is find our niche and get a bit of stability.
“Are we good enough to push for second? I’m not so sure about that yet but there is no reason why we can’t get back-to-back top-six finishes.
“There is having a goal and an aim and there is also getting carried away.
“So we just want to get off to a good start and see where we are at Christmas time.
“Killie were not far away from the top six last time and I think they will do well this season.
“Gary Locke is destined to be a good manager and he has made good signings.
“I played with Boydy for four years and he’s the best natural finisher I’ve come across.
“He has had a terrific career and scored loads of goals, he’ll score until he’s 50 because that’s the way he is.
“He probably didn’t envisage how things would go at Rangers but it was only a year or two ago he scored all those goals for Killie.
“He made them survive that year and I’m sure he’ll be desperate to fire them into the top six this season.”
Dundee will be at full strength today apart from midfielder Nicky Low, who is carrying a knock from the Raith Rovers’ pre-season friendly but should be fit to face Hearts.