Mark O’Hara insists it’s time Dundee stopped looking over their shoulder and instead focused on the top six of the Premiership.
While Celtic have already run away with the league title, at the other end of the table it is still incredibly tight with the Dark Blues sitting in 10th place.
However, a win over Kilmarnock at Dens this afternoon in what is the only Premiership fixture because of the Scottish Cup will propel them up to sixth.
O’Hara, who felt he finally returned to top form last week during the draw in Inverness following a hernia op earlier this season, insists it is an opportunity Dundee have to grasp with both hands.
The 21-year-old, who joined Paul Hartley’s side from Kilmarnock last summer, said: “I definitely feel I’m getting back to my best.
“Since my injury, I would say that’s the best I have played up in Inverness.
“Hopefully that’s my confidence back up and I can continue this Saturday and maybe add a couple of goals.
“The immediate feeling last Saturday was disappointment.
“On reflection, I can take a lot of positives personally and try to kick on again and help the team.
“It’s a massive game this Saturday and I want to be at my best again.
“It’s games like this we have to win to get into the top six.
“We want to be looking up the table rather than over our shoulder.
“A couple of wins can make a huge difference psychologically. It’s so tight so this has to be seen as a winnable game.”
While Dundee were kicking themselves last week after letting a two-goal lead slip in the Highlands, O’Hara believed there were positives to take from the game – including the performance of new signing Henrik Ojamaa on his debut for the Dark Blues.
He said: “Henrik gave us something different.
“I thought the dynamics of the team worked very well last week.
“You could tell Henrik is a good player and he was very sharp inside the box.
“He can come short as well as go in behind.”
While O’Hara only left Rugby Park last summer, the Kilmarnock squad is almost unrecognisable from the one he knew with boss Lee Clark overseeing a huge turnover of players.
Even last month, he brought in another seven during the transfer window.
However, there is at least one player still at the club who O’Hara knows very well – Kris Boyd.
The striker may be at the veteran stage of his career but O’Hara insists he is still a big danger man as he showed when he scored the fastest goal in Premiership history just two weeks ago against Ross County.
The Dundee midfielder added: “Killie are much changed.
“There are some younger boys from when I was there, like Greg Taylor, Dean Holdshaw and there’s Adam Frizzell too.
“They hadn’t really featured when I was there but they were at the club.
They’re doing well now but apart from that it’s a new-look side.
“Seven came in during January and I think the manager there is trying to stamp his own authority. It’s a big turnover for sure.
“However, Kris Boyd is still there and he is a big character. He’s very good to the younger boys and helped with the under-20s last year.
“He’s a good type to have in the dressing-room because the team is very young.
“They’ll need players like that around them. He was very good to me as well. He was never a selfish player.
“Kris is at that stage in his career where he’s looking to pass on his experience and he’s still a threat.
“He’s a goal predator and we lost two goals last week so will have to watch him carefully.
“He showed just the other week when he scored a really fast goal. So we’ll need to be wary of him.”
Dundee have no injury or suspension worries for the game.
