Christie Elliott hopes his goal and performance against Rangers on Sunday can help him nail down a regular spot in the Dundee side.
The 30-year-old was a surprise inclusion against the champions by manager Mark McGhee but put in his best showing for the club since arriving in January 2020.
Mostly a squad player this term, Elliott hadn’t played a minute under the new Dens Park manager until he took a starting berth on Sunday.
He immediately repaid that faith by beating Ryan Kent to Jordan Marshall’s cross and grabbing a first-ever league goal for Dundee.
However, despite being named Man of the Match by the match sponsors, Elliott couldn’t help see his side to a hard-earned point with Rangers grabbing a late winner.
‘Still need to play St Johnstone’
With just seven games left and four points to make up, the wing-back admits his side are in a poor position but says the confidence is in the Dundee squad to get out of trouble.
“We have to give that performance week in, week out now,” the former Partick Thistle man said.
“We had a lot of confidence going into the second half after that, so the boys are gutted that we couldn’t hold on.
“We have seven big games now and we need that in order to be where we want to be.
“We are only going to give our all between now and the end of the season.
“Of course we have morale and we believe we can get out of trouble.
“We have a good squad and there is only four points difference and we still need to play St Johnstone.
“Realistically, what we do is going to dictate where we end up.
“It’s down to us at the end of the day – we have the games and then the split and you go into it knowing you have to win.”
‘Hope I’ve made my mark’
After making a good first impression on new boss McGhee, Elliott hopes to get the call again when the action gets back under way following the upcoming international break.
“I definitely hope I’ve made my mark,” he said.
“We have a big squad now and I’ve had to wait my time and train hard.
“We have good players battling for places and it’s good to have competition as it keeps you on your toes”
