Tony Docherty says his Dundee side remain a “work in progress”.
The Dark Blues have enjoyed a positive first season back at top flight level and are in the mix to register just their third top six finish this century.
With five matches before the split, Docherty’s side are one point behind Hibs in sixth.
They did have a headstart on the Edinburgh outfit in recent weeks.
However, they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Easter Road and followed that up with a 7-1 humiliation at champions Celtic.
It looked like they were on track to bounce back in perfect fashion from that miserable night at Parkhead.
They led 2-1 going into stoppage time against 10-man Kilmarnock but conceded a late equaliser. That goal allowed Hibs to leapfrog Dundee in the table.
Improve
Despite the recent disappointments, Docherty is keen to focus on the positives.
Though he does admit there are areas to be improved upon.
“People tend to forget that we are a newly-formed team and a newly-promoted team. It is very much a work in progress,” the Dundee boss said.
“As manager, all I’m looking for is levels of improvement.
“That’s what it is – there are still things we need to improve on.
“If we take that baseline, there is a really good level of performance coming from the players.
“There’s also mentality and resilience in terms of bouncing back from disappointments.
“Long may that continue.
“But we are very aware of the areas we need to improve upon and I can assure the supporters that there isn’t a team that works harder on the training ground to do that.”
‘Keep bond strong’
Docherty intends to use a free weekend to do just that.
Dundee’s schedule has been an intense one since the winter break with 11 matches in just over six weeks.
However, they have no match this Saturday as Scottish Cup takes centre stage.
The Dens boss gave the players Monday off so they could enjoy a team day out on Sunday.
But from Tuesday it’s all about focusing on Aberdeen next midweek as the Dark Blues aim to get back to winning ways.
“It’s important to get them together as a squad,” Docherty said.
“They are a strong group, really together. And it’s important they get these opportunities.
“We’ve seen the togetherness of the squad all season.
“I gave them Monday off and then we’re in all week. I want to make sure we get a lot of work done this week.
“We haven’t had a lot of time on the training ground because of the schedule of games we’ve had.
“It’s important to get together as a group and keep that bond strong.
“But after Monday it’s a working week.”
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