Today will be just that little bit special for Dundee and their supporters, as the club aim to mark survival in the first division with a win over Partick Thistle in their last home game of the season.
It will be a time of mutual gratitude and appreciation between players and fans, with the Dark Blues rightly proud of staying up despite the 25-point penalty imposed on them by the Scottish Football League for entering administration.
The hope had been that they would have been out of administration yesterday but that will now have to wait two or three weeks.
That delay should not, and probably will not, take any shine off a fixture that is expected to attract one of the biggest crowds of the season to Dens Park, helped by cut-price admission of only a fiver.
Manager Barry Smith has emphasised the need not to think the job has been done and wants to enhance the occasion by grabbing all three points against the Jags.
Only after the final whistle will the players make a show of thanking the supporters for helping them through a rollercoaster campaign.
Midfielder Stephen O’Donnell expressed a real determination to give the fans a victory.
“We need to look after our business on the park first and then enjoy things afterwards,” said O’Donnell.
“After all the hard work we have put in to stay up the last thing we want to do is go out with a whimper.
“Hopefully, there will a big crowd and we might even persuade an extra few to come along next season if we play well.
“We want to put on a show and basically want to prove to everyone that we were good enough to win the league on merit.
“It has been such a great run we have been on and I believe no one will be taking their foot off the gas.
“Then we can hopefully show our appreciation to the fans after the match.
“There has been no doubt they have been absolutely magnificent this season, pulling us through some games at vital periods.”A big clubO’Donnell has become attached to the Dark Blues since joining last summer before all the heartbreak that administration brought to Dens, with colleagues and staff losing their jobs.
He has been through a lot but would love to stay beyond the end of his deal, which is up at the end of the campaign.
“This season has had everything for me, highs and lows like never before,” he said.
“As for the future, we are hopefully going to sort everything out soon.
“I am delighted to be here and enjoying every minute of my football at what is, in my opinion, a big club.
“The grass isn’t always greener elsewhere, which is something I know from personal experience.
“I think also we have got to remember the boys who lost their jobs before because that is important too.
“Hopefully, we can keep the majority of playersalthough there will be some interest I am surebecause we have got a great understanding.
“There is a huge trust now that you just know where your team-mates are and what they are going to do next.”
Meanwhile, the Dundee manager has issued a plea for the fans not to invade the pitch at the end of the match.
Smith, who admitted he is relaxed about the club’s exit from administration being put on hold, also insisted the players are determined to maintain their football focus to ensure they pick up the right result.
“We would be delighted if a big crowd came along and they had a good time but our players will be concentrating first and foremost on the football side of things,” he stressed.
“The fans will get their chance to thank the players but it is vitally important that they stay off the pitch at the end of the game.
“The players want to thank the fans but, for safety reasons, that will not be possible if people come on to the playing surface.”
Teenage striker Leighton McIntosh will miss the game with a hamstring injury.