Cove Rangers boss Paul Hartley revealed his side’s injury problems continue to mount heading into their final two games.
Winger Michael O’Halloran and attacker Leighton McIntosh both suffered hamstring injuries during the 1-0 win at Arbroath on Saturday and are not expected to feature again this season.
The Aberdeen side were only able to name six of a possible nine players on the bench for the match.
Hartley said: “It (losing both players in the first half) summed our season up since I’ve come in, given the injuries we’ve already had.
“We weren’t able to fill the bench.
“We get some players back and then we suffer two hamstring injuries for two of our forward players.
“They will probably be out now, so we just have to dig in and try to find a team to get some points.”
Cove head to Championship leaders Dundee, who sit one point clear of Queen’s Park at the summit, on Friday night.
The win at Gayfield has moved Cove level on points with second-bottom Hamilton Accies and three points adrift of Arbroath.
Hartley accepts his side will be underdogs against title-chasing Dundee, but believes they can take something from the game to boost their chances of avoiding relegation.
He said: “I don’t expect any of my teams to rollover. It’s two different teams going for two different things.
“The Championship has thrown up all sorts this season.
“We at the other end of the table and are trying to fight for our lives, which makes it an interesting game.
“Nobody will give us a chance.
“We will try to recover and try to manage the players until next Friday night.”
‘Luis is a talented boy’
Hartley, meanwhile, was encouraged by another impressive display from winger Luis Longstaff against Arbroath.
The former Liverpool youngster played a crucial role in getting Cove up the park during a battling performance when they were playing into a fierce wind at Gayfield.
Hartley added: “He was playing against Steven Hetherington, who is not a natural left-back.
“We watched Arbroath during the week and we wanted to get Luis one-v-one.
“Luis is a talented boy, he just needs to believe in himself more.
“He had some good situations in the first half.
“In the second half, he didn’t see as much of the ball.
“It wasn’t a great game, but football at this stage is about winning.
“You ask the top teams all over the world, that is what they will tell you.”
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