Rhys Weston has appealed to the SFL not to hammer Dundee for going into administration for the second time in seven years.
Administrator Bryan Jackson will be grilled by the SFL board today, with a decision on what punishment the Dark Blues are to face expected to be made public early next week.
It is widely anticipated that a substantial points deduction up to 30 points is in the pipeline, effectively guaranteeing relegation to the second division.
Weston reckons that would be harsh.
“Hopefully the league will be lenient with us,” he said.
“It is out of our control but it would be a shame if our season is effectively ended on Thursday because we’ve had so many points deducted.
“The fight is on to keep the club alive and the football is the main product so everyone will suffer.
“The fans, players and everyone involved with Dundee will be hurt.
“So, too, will be Scottish football. Apart from the Old Firm game, ours was the third biggest attendance at the weekend.
“The fans here have been through it before and they are rallying again. They don’t deserve to be punished for something that was outside their control.
“The supporters have been through the mill on more than one occasion but I’ve seen them really pull together and show a lot of resolve in the face of adversity.
“All we can hope for is a decent outcome on Thursday and the fans sticking by us.
“If we were forced into a situation where it’s going to be an uphill battle to stay in the league that would be very, very hard to take.”
Weston welcomed the news that two of his 11 sacked team-mates, Eric Paton and Colin McMenamin, are to join Queen of the South.
“It is good to hear about some of the boys getting new clubs,” he said.
“They did nothing wrong and were victims of circumstances.
“I just hope they all get sorted out quickly because a lot of good players left the other week.”