Gary Harkins insists he hasn’t given up hope of being able to play some part in Dundee’s SPL survival fight.
The influential midfielder missed Saturday’s win over Hearts at Dens after he cracked ribs in a training ground accident with big keeper Steve Simonsen.
That injury should almost certainly rule him out for the remainder of the campaign but Harkins is so desperate to help Dundee’s attempt to beat the drop that he is prepared to play through the pain barrier in their latest must-win game against Aberdeen this Sunday.
The 29-year-old admitted: “It’s too early to say what will happen. I still don’t know if I’ll play again this season but I’m definitely not giving up yet.
“It depends on how much pain there is and just now it’s obviously pretty sore. It was one of those things which happens. I clashed with big Steve in training and that’s football for you.
“But with the way things are going and how hard the lads are fighting to stay in the SPL, I obviously still want to play my part even if that means playing with a bit of pain.
“I’m just thinking as positively as I can and hopefully that means I can play some part between now and the end of the season.
“There’s not a lot I can do right now as I just need to let things settle but after that we’ll see what will happen.”
Dundee’s hard-fought win over Hearts combined with St Mirren only drawing at Hibs means the gap between the Dark Blues and the Buddies has been cut to eight points.
And Harkins paid tribute to his team-mates for piling the pressure on Danny Lennon’s side and keeping their survival fight going for at least another week.
He said: “They were brilliant and have every right to be buzzing.
“I think the spirit in the camp is different class and Saturday’s win proves that. It will be interesting to see how St Mirren react above us but all we can do is try and win our next game and see where it takes us.”