Dundee remain on the shoogliest of shoogly pegs in the Premiership.
They sit three points and five goals behind with just one game to play while rivals St Johnstone have two bites at the cherry.
But they signed off their home campaign with a morale-boosting victory over Hibernian.
It was an emotional night too for skipper Charlie Adam, as he ponders his next move.
Mark McGhee broke his duck as Dundee boss, getting a win at the 13th attempt, as the Dark Blues brushed their Edinburgh opponents aside.
It may end up being too late, but what did we learn from the 3-1 success?
Fans
Dundee have a serious asset on their hands, one they are absolutely failing to make the most of right now.
Though the crowd at Dens Park can be a tough one – pretty crabbit from time to time – nights like Tuesday serve a timely reminder of the positive power that can come from the stands.
Discontent about the way the club is run is still there but finally there was something positive to cheer for a long-starved support.
That there were more than 5,000 Dundee fans there says a lot – even when things are bad, very bad, they will still support the team.
When they like what they see on the pitch, the team just grows in stature.
And that’s what happened when the Dark Blues started knocking on the door in the second half, Josh Mulligan and Charlie Adam battering it down in the end.
Charlie Adam
The Dundee skipper just can’t keep himself out of the headlines, can he?!
He’s been a constant presence in these post-match pieces lately, in recent weeks it has not been for entirely positive reasons.
But this time it most certainly is.
The game plan worked a treat – have the young lads run Hibs around and then stick Adam in the mix for the final half-hour.
He looked like a man determined to make a point as he came off the bench and lifted his team in the process.
If, as it may be, it was his last appearance as a Dundee player at Dens Park then what a way to go out – with a classic Charlie Adam thunderbolt flying off his left boot and swerving into the corner leaving a keeper grasping at thin air.
🚀 @Charlie26Adam | #thedee pic.twitter.com/foWKNWXnL5
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) May 10, 2022
Josh Mulligan
Adam may have hit the headlines but just as big a story could be the emergence of Josh Mulligan as a Premiership player.
The 19-year-old took League One by storm in the first half of the season and took the same approach against the Hibees.
Such a powerful player, the youngster certainly has the athleticism to stand out.
The Hibs defence couldn’t deal with him.
Belief seemed to surge through him despite the disappointment of the disallowed goal, one that looked very much onside in replays.
But he got his goal, barging his marker and Zak Rudden out of the way in the process.
That was his first at Dens and a first in the top flight – both major milestones.
He then had two cleared off the line. Dundee have another serious talent on their hands.
Team selection
There was a big change in approach from Mark McGhee for this game and it worked.
Instead of experience in the middle, he went for youth and energy.
Rudden up front, though enforced due to Danny Mullen’s illness, was another change that paid off.
The youngster looked much more like the player Dundee signed, though he’ll still be wondering how he missed his big chance in the second half.
The thing is, though, McGhee finding the winning formula has come too late – Aberdeen may do them a favour tonight but expecting two defeats for St Johnstone is a big ask.
What the Hibs performance showed, however, is there is a bright future for a lot of this team beyond this season.
