Iain Davidson has candidly admitted the Dundee players are now just fighting to delay their inevitable relegation from the SPL.
Saturday’s loss to Motherwell means that, depending on results involving fellow basement battlers St Mirren and Hearts next week, defeat for the Dark Blues at Kilmarnock would signal the end of their top-tier tenure.
Davidson, who joined Dundee last summer from Raith says it is a cruel fate he finds hard to even contemplate.
He said: “We aren’t kidding ourselves on. We have gone out to try and win every game but if we keep losing matches then we aren’t going to give ourselves a chance.
“We have to be realistic, it is getting difficult and nearer that time. We will just keep plugging away, we cannot give up. We are professionals and we will keep going and see what happens.”
When he was asked if there would be any extra pressure on the players at Kilmarnock next week because of their precarious predicament, he said: “The last thing we want is to have that (relegation) to happen so early.
“We would have five games to go after the Killie game so we will try our best to ensure it doesn’t happen.
“We will keep trying to delay the inevitable. I am not sounding defeatist but we have to be realistic. We will keep fighting and giving everything we have got until it is mathematically done.”
While Dundee are now staring relegation fully in the face, Davidson insists no one at the club will be downing tools as they are all playing for their futures.
He said: “Apart from a couple of the lads, most of us here are on one-year deals. We are professionals so we are playing for our futures and our careers.
“We have to give everything we have got and see what happens, whether it is with Dundee or elsewhere, you just never know what’s going to happen.”
Dundee approached Saturday’s game in relatively confident mood having secured a point against Dundee United two weeks ago despite playing 70 minutes of that game with just 10 men after skipper Gary Irvine’s red card.
Their bubble was burst after just nine minutes against the Steelmen when the impressive Chris Humphrey, who gave Brian Easton a torrid time all afternoon, swung a tempting cross to the unmarked Michael Higdon lurking at the back post.
The big striker, who has been a thorn in Dundee’s flesh all season, needed no second invitation to head past the stranded Steve Simonsen in the Dundee goal.
Humphrey tormented Easton again eight minutes later before hitting a perfect cutback to Henrik Ojamaa, who fluffed his lines with the goal at his mercy.
The Dark Blues finally created a clear-cut opportunity on the half-hour mark when Motherwell keeper Darren Randolph could only palm a fierce Gary Harkins drive into the path of John Baird, but the striker’s angled shot flew just inches past the far post. Just seconds into the second half, the Steelmen had to rely on some last-ditch defending to snuff out two chances in quick succession for Baird and then Ryan Conroy.
Motherwell eased into a two-goal lead in the 63rd minute, however, when Nicky Law ghosted on to a Keith Lasley dinked ball into the box to glance a header past the helpless Simonsen.
Dundee should have cut the deficit shortly after when Nicky Riley provided an inch-perfect cross for Baird, but the striker headed over.
With just 10 minutes remaining, Motherwell put the icing on the cake with the best goal of the afternoon. Tom Hateley hit a deep corner all the way to Law, who was standing in splendid isolation on the edge of the Dundee box.
The midfielder had all the time in the world to steady himself and send a superb curling effort past Simonsen. Davidson acknowledged the loss of soft goals gave Dundee a mountain to climb.
He said: “It was a difficult one to take as it is possibly the first time since the new gaffer has come in that we have let ourselves down.
“At the same time, if you do not defend goals you are not going to give yourself even half a chance. I also thought we had opportunities at the other end and that’s the difference.
“If you don’t defend and you don’t score, then you are not going to have a chance. I thought that was the case today but there wasn’t much in it.
“Don’t get me wrong, Motherwell are a good side, they are second in the league for a reason and they punished us but from our point of view, the three goals are really soft and could have been avoided.
“And as I said, we had chances and didn’t take them.
“The manager said it was hard to criticise us because of the effort and commitment we have put in since he came to the club. But he said we didn’t help ourselves and I think he was spot on.
“He was obviously disappointed with the manner of the goals we conceded.”
Davidson believes the Dark Blues can bounce straight back to the SPL if the current squad is kept together.
He said: “At the start of the season, we were preparing for the First Division but the club were never going to turn down the chance of playing in the SPL.
“Obviously, we have found out how difficult it can be. It has been the first season in the SPL for myself and a lot of the other players so the experience can only benefit us in the long run. If this group of players can stick together, then we would be confident of bouncing back straight away.
“Obviously, we don’t know what’s happening with league reconstruction but we would like to bounce back for the fans.
“I have enjoyed my time at the club and I think I have done OK in the SPL, even if it is difficult to say you have done well in a team that is getting beaten a lot.
“The fans have been really good to me. It is a big club and I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to stay.”