Given his temporary club’s perilous situation, enjoyable is certainly not a word on-loan Scott Wright can use to describe his time at Dundee.
However, for the man who will be returning to Aberdeen at the end of the season, the experience of the past three months at Dens Park has been invaluable.
And he still aims to repay the Dark Blues for the faith they’ve shown in him by helping them pull off what would now be a miracle escape from relegation.
In what remains a fledgling career with the Dons, most of the 21-year-old’s game time has been about helping them challenge near the top end of the Premiership and in the cups.
At Dens Park he’s seen the other side of the game and some dark times as Jim McIntyre’s team have become increasingly isolated at the bottom of the table.
If that means it’s not been great fun most of the time, Wright does believe it’s been an important part of his personal learning curve.
“I’ve said it before that this is a different experience for me but that’s the whole point of coming on loan and getting a football education,” he said.
“It has been different. Aberdeen are challenging for second spot and in Europe. For the past five years they have been in that situation.
“That’s a different pressure in itself and then you come on loan and it’s a relegation battle. That’s something new and brings its own pressures.
“It’s been hard at times but it’s been a good experience and it’s not over. Hopefully, we surprise people and beat the drop.”
Dundee go into tomorrow’s home clash with fellow-strugglers Hamilton Accies knowing what would be a 10th defeat in a row would confirm relegation.
Even a victory that would keep those slim survival hopes alive, would not be enough to return their fate to their own hands.
Wright, however, insists the knowledge they are teetering on the brink will not stop the players going out all guns blazing against Accies.
“It’s a bit of a difficult situation, all we can do is try and be as positive as we can be really.
“The manager is trying to keep that in us all – that it’s not over and that we’ve just got to try to focus on the weekend.
“It’s kind of out of our hands now so all we can do is go out and win. The thing that we have to try to get into our heads is the win is the most important thing.”
This week has seen the American owners reiterate their long-term commitment to the club and also speculation over the manager’s position.
Wright believes such matters are for others to talk about and reveals a dressing-room that’s left him impressed are only thinking about matters on the pitch.
“You need to shut out all the background noise that’s going on and focus on the game against Hamilton, as players that’s what’s important,” Wright added.
“The run we’re on, it’s been bad, but we have been in the majority of the games and the way it went last Saturday at Motherwell, it just didn’t fall for us.
“There is a good team spirit here and there has to be, because if you don’t have that in the dressing-room, how are you going to fight for each other when you’re out on the pitch?
“Everybody is still together and the manager is a big believer in that.
“Every day in training he wants us to be at our best and he is trying to bring the best out in us.
“Against Hamilton we are going to try to go out and play on the front foot and try to score goals because that’s what we have to be doing.
“We have to keep that focus tomorrow and try to get a result in every game between now and the end of the season.”
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