From day one Dundee have been the club the others in the first division would like to beat most, Dark Blues defender Rhys Weston has insisted, and nothing has changed now that the season is drawing to a close.
Being hit with a 25-point penalty that took them from being promotion contenders to relegation candidates in one fell swoop didn’t diminish the desire of their nine rivals in the league to claim their scalp.
That’s why Weston knows there will be no such thing as a meaningless match for any team they play in the run-in, even those safe in mid-table like Saturday’s opponents Morton.
The former Cardiff City man, who will return from suspension at Cappielow, said, “Every team that plays against Dundee feels they’ve got a point to prove in one way or another.
“I don’t blame them, we’re a big club. And with the way the season’s gone with ourselves going into administration we’ve put ourselves in a position to be shot at.”
He added, “It speaks for itself. We were one of the promotion favourites at the start and everyone has seemed to raise their game against us.
“Losing 25 points didn’t change that we should take it as a compliment, I suppose.
“There’s no such game as a run-down game in this division. The likes of Queen of the South, Morton and Partick Thistle who aren’t in promotion contention and won’t go down, all still want to win.
“If teams were aggrieved that we didn’t get relegated, then they’ve got their own agenda there.”‘Mountain’ to climbDundee are tantalisingly close to achieving what many thought would be mission impossible, but Weston knows that a late-season slump would undo the months of hard work.
He said, “We’ve faced a mountain this season and we’re almost at the top of it.
“It’s all well and good saying we’ve had a 23-game unbeaten run and we’ve done this and we’ve done that but if we don’t stay in this division it’s all for nothing.
“The situation at the bottom changes week on week, but we can’t concern ourselves with results involving Ross County and Cowdenbeath. If we win on Saturday we’re a big step closer to safety.”
Morton’s eye-catching 4-1 win against Queen of the South, which has come on the back of an excellent run of results for Allan Moore’s men, will have sharpened the focus of the Dundee players.
Weston said, “We’re obviously well aware of Morton’s big midweek win at Queen of the South. It was a very impressive result and will give them confidence for Saturday.
“But our job is simple, and that’s to try and get as many points as we can to stay in this division. Nothing’s changed.”
“We’ve got almost a full pool of players to choose from, which is important at the business end of the season.’Fighting tooth and nail’He added, “The young lads have done fantastically well after being thrown in at the deep end in difficult circumstances.
“The gaffer will make his decision on team selection, but experience is important to keep things calm when the pressure is on.
“Whatever 11 goes out will be fighting tooth and nail for the win.”
Injured striker Sean Higgins is the only player unavailable to boss Barry Smith.
Moore is looking for his men to build on two wins in their last two games to finally get a win over Dundee.
He said, “I want Morton to establish themselves as very much a top half of the table team and the best way to do that is by winning all our games between now and the end of the season.
“We have not had much luck against Dundee this season and hopefully if we get a wee break in this game we will come out on top.”
The Cappielow club are hoping defender Kevin McKinlay and midfielder Fred Bachirou shake off knocks to feature.
Strikers Kevin Kelbie and Sean Fitzharris have both been ruled out, with ex-Dens Parker Derek Lyle keeping his place in the squad despite recent front-page headlines.