Saturday is as big as they come for Dundee this season.
Heading to Ross County with the chance of opening up an eight-point gap on the bottom-placed team.
Not to mention gaining a bit of revenge for the 5-0 hammering they suffered just a few weeks ago.
It is a serious opportunity for the Dark Blues.
Exemplary
One that, it has to be said, looked very unlikely just six games ago when the Staggies were strolling around Dens Park.
That display was unexpected after some decent showings from James McPake’s men.
More unexpected, however, has been the response from the embattled Dark Blues since that point.
It has been pretty much exemplary.
Yes, defeats to Celtic and Rangers aren’t what you want but they happen, especially to teams coming fresh out of the Championship.
Other than those two, Dundee have won every match since.
And without conceding a goal either.
Under-fire
That’s what we are beginning to realise about this team – yes, bad days will come but this Dundee side can shrug disappointment off quickly.
Test after test after test has come their way since dropping down to the Championship.
Manager McPake has been under-fire more often than a Hollywood action star in his two-and-a-half years in charge.
A bad result, or a bad run of results, it may be but he finds a way to get his team back together and getting points on the board.
Saying that, I know there are some Dundee fans who expect better.
And plenty who are still on the fence, wary of the next 5-0 or 6-2 that might be around the corner.
What should give them heart, though, is this side don’t fold like others have in the past.
They shrugged off a poor start to the Championship and got themselves promoted.
Now they’ve had a decent start, then a very poor spell, and now are coming out the other side of it.
New chapter?
What Saturday could herald, however, is the beginning of a new chapter for the Dee.
One that suggests a higher finish than 12th or 11th may be possible.
Because until the past week, that’s all we were thinking would be likely this season.
Suddenly, though, since that dismal doing dished out by the Staggies in October, the Dark Blues have racked up the points and edged further away from the bottom side.
Going eight points ahead, whether County have a game in hand or not, is a major gap at this stage of the season.
The kind of gap that makes you forget worrying about automatic relegation and to start thinking something else might be possible.
Top six has been mentioned by the players already.
That might be a bit soon to be thinking about.
It is a good sign, though, that confidence is high.
Saturday is massive but even if it goes badly Dundee have shown time and time again they’ll bounce back.
