Gary Irvine says the Dundee players are determined to repay the club’s fans after the desperate disappointment of Sunday’s defeat to city rivals United.
The full-back did not pull his punches after the Dark Blues slumped to a 4-1 loss which brought an end to what had been an eight-game unbeaten run.
And he admitted the players will look to put things right on Wednesday night when they make the short walk down the road to Tannadice for the League Cup game.
Irvine said: “The first word is ‘disappointed’ and ‘gutted’ is the next one. The boys are very low in there. But it’s important we pick ourselves up now.
“We’ve got them in midweek. It’s massive and really important that we lift ourselves. It’s a good thing having them so quickly in another derby. We’ve got to make sure we go into it with the right frame of mind.
He added: “I was sitting in the changing-room there and it’s frustrating. Dundee United played well, pressed the ball and played a lot of good stuff.
“As for the goals, it was mistakes from ourselves, at set-pieces as well. Every goal could have been prevented. That’s the most frustrating thing.
“We need to rectify that going into Wednesday and get the heads back up. We definitely owe one to the fans.
“It’s a derby and it’s one the fans look forward to after being promoted. It was on our home patch so it’s important we correct that.”
Irvine insisted that the speculation linking his manager Paul Hartley with the vacant Cardiff job was not a distraction.
Irvine said: “I would rather not speak about that. I don’t think that plays a part in anything. Nothing has been spoken about that at all.”