Sean Dillon genuinely believes all is not yet lost for relegation-threatened Dundee United.
The Tangerines will head over the road from Tannadice to Dens Park today as the Premiership’s bottom club by the sizeable margin of 10 points.
As each week passes the prospect of them pulling off a remarkable rescue mission fades.
The experienced Irishman knows that and is not putting his head in the sand.
Nevertheless, he sent a defiant message to the thousands of United fans who will back them at the home of their rivals that he still thinks survival is a mission possible.
“You just have to believe,” said Dillon.
“If you don’t then what chance do you have?
“I genuinely believe we are going to get out of this – 100%.
“Talk is cheap – I know that.
“I realise there will be people reading this and probably laughing to themselves, thinking they are sick of people saying that.
“However, I genuinely believe it.
“We need to win one game and then kick on.
“Just look at some of the other teams who have gone on a two- or three-game streak.
“Maybe if you get three wins from four or something like that all of a sudden you are up a couple of places.
“For us, we need that one win to get us started.
“We were looking to get that win against Hearts in midweek and unfortunately it didn’t happen.
“But we go into the derby looking to get it – 100%.”
Despite everything, Dillon insists the heads are not down.
“The dressing room is a good place to be,” he said.
“That might surprise a few people.
“Obviously, there is realism about the situation we are in.
“Everybody understands we are in a bad place at the moment but when you come in in the morning and come to work you don’t go around with your head down.
“There is none of that.
“It is a good dressing room.
“We need to keep fighting and that is what we will continue to do.”
The Tangerines will face a strenuous mental test today as well as have to cope with the physical demands of playing one half of the 3-2 loss at Tynecastle with just 10 men after Mark Durnan’s sending-off.
Durnan was due to miss the derby anyway because of suspension but they will also be without his fellow defender Callum Morris, who injured his medial ligament during that game.
Morris will leave a hole at the heart of a backline that must improve on the defending they produced against the Jam Tarts.
Dillon admitted there have been far too many individual errors, albeit he wasn’t guilty on Wednesday as he was the one who came off the bench to replace Morris.
Most of the damage was done by then.
“Look, I wasn’t involved in any of the goals so I don’t want to go over the top about the mistakes and stuff,” he said.
“But they were mistakes.
“The lads don’t need me to say it but it has been disappointing and obviously that has been the common them for a while for us now – individual errors.
“I’ve been there myself so I know how frustrating it is. We are still working to put it right.
“When the chips are down and all that, and the luck is against you, you need to make your own luck.
“We can’t say that the goals we conceded were unlucky goals – they were caused by mistakes.
“Yes, things have gone against us at times but I don’t think we can put our position down to luck.
“The mental approach is to get the head on and that has always been the case.”