Next few meetings are chance to climb table

outings on their own patch would do them a lot of good and could prove instrumental in the bid to get off the bottom.

To do that, the players will have to step up to the plate and perform better than they have been since rattling six and then seven past Dumbarton and Forfar in the home fixtures in the Betfred Cup group stages, though ironically it was the away form in that competition that led to an early exit.

The fans can also play their part and also up their game. While the recent struggles on the park have understandably made them increasingly edgy, an effort to be a touch more forgiving of mistakes could reap rewards.

That was a feature of the away support at New Douglas Park.

Only a few hundred made the trip to Lanarkshire but the vast majority stayed right behind the team for the 90 minutes and were rewarded with victory.

Transform that i nto several thousand at Dens in 48 hours and it could make another big difference.

Having been involved in good and bad home runs in his time as both player and manager at Dens, the Tele’s own Barry Smith knows what the current crop are going through. And he believes players and fans can combine to put things right.

“Whatever was been shouted from either set of fans, as a player I was able to switch off from it and just focus on the game,” said Barry.

“Not every player is like that and, if they’re taking stick, it can get to them.

“What they have to remember is they can give the fans something to shout about and get them on their side. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular like a great shot, it can be a tackle or just the fact it’s clear they’re giving 100%.”