Dundee vice-captain Ethan Hamilton admitted frustration after the defeat at Ibrox but insisted there are signs of progress within the group as they continue to build under their current run of development.
Hamilton, who wore the armband at Ibrox with skipper Simon Murray on the bench, felt his side had moments in the game but did not quite assert themselves enough in possession to truly trouble Rangers.
“Disappointed,” he said.
“When you come to Rangers it needs to be a perfect performance, but we felt we had opportunities at times and maybe just didn't impose ourselves as much as we'd like in the game.
“It was a frustrating day, but obviously we need to work hard this weekend until we get into next weekend.”
Control on the ball was an area he felt could have been better, particularly in spells where Dundee showed composure without turning it into genuine threat.
“I just think maybe we could have been a little bit better on the ball at times,” Hamilton explained.
“It was a bit of a frustrating day, but we just need to get our foot on the ball and get a little bit more control.
“We'll review it and try and take positives from it and learn from what we need to learn from and take it into the next game.”
Despite the setback, Hamilton believes Dundee’s overall trajectory remains positive, pointing to improvements in cohesion and understanding in recent weeks.
“Yeah, I feel like in the last few weeks we've started to get a good way of playing and we just want to build on that,” he said.
“I think the managers work really hard and we'll go through the game and review it and we'll build next weekend.”
He also highlighted the broader picture of a squad still developing, with new players bedding in and confidence gradually growing.
“We've felt it's been coming,” Hamilton said.
“We know we've got good players in the building and maybe just getting out there on the pitch and new players coming in and just getting used to each other.
“We feel that we're building and obviously we've still got a lot of hard work ahead of us.
“The managers are on to us about that, and we need to keep working hard and we know we need to keep pushing.
“We've got some games coming up where we need to go and try and take some positive points.”
Competition for places and potential additions are seen as part of that evolution rather than a disruption.
“Yeah, I suppose it's what the manager does and feels we need to strengthen,” he said.
“We've got some really good players here and the new lads that have come in have been really good in training and are ready to contribute.
“We feel like we're going in the right direction and we need to keep trying to do that.”
For Hamilton, maintaining belief is crucial, especially within a young squad.
“I think so,” he added when asked about momentum.
“We've got a young group and I think sometimes through the season young players get better and better. The more confidence you get, the more you get used to the league and stuff.
“It's important to just keep them really positive.
“We need to keep building on that and obviously not lose that confidence we've been building over the last few weeks.”