Dunfermline manager Jim Jefferies refused to concede the relegation fight after his team slipped five points behind Hibernian with just two games left.
The Clydesdale Bank Premier League's bottom club stretched their unbeaten run to three games with a 0-0 draw at Inverness but Hibs' victory at Aberdeen saw the Pars slip further behind, with an eight-goal advantage in the Edinburgh club's favour too.
However, Dunfermline can take it to the final day if they win at Easter Road on Monday and Jefferies will take his side to Leith in defiant mood.
"It was important we didn't lose tonight because with Hibs winning we had to keep it alive," he said.
"We know what we have to do, we have to go to Easter Road and get a victory and if we do we take it to the last game, they have got to come here and we have a home game (against Kilmarnock). Both tough matches.
"We would liked to have got a win but it's a tough place to come. Inverness probably had more goalmouth incidents.
"We had a couple of half chances, one in the first half and Kyle (Hutton) hit it down the goalkeeper's throat and the second half Martin Hardie hit it sweet and hit it down the goalkeeper's throat again.
"If you're looking for pluses, going three games undefeated, two of them away, the first time we have had clean sheets back to back. It just shows we are making a great effort.
"Credit to Hibs for going up to Aberdeen and getting a result, but it's not over until it's mathematically over. We know what we have to do, we just have to go for it."
The point was enough to keep Inverness in the SPL and manager Terry Butcher urged a reality check for supporters who made their frustration clear as Caley Thistle tried to run down the clock late on.
The home side had the better of the chances with Graeme Shinnie and Aaron Doran both missing good chances.
Butcher said: "Let's make one thing clear, our objective is to be in the SPL every season. The money we have and the geography of the place means we are up against it every season.
"I keep talking about top six because I want to push my players to the max. If you aim high up the league and don't quite make it, you stay in the SPL."
Like Jefferies, Butcher felt one goal would have been enough to win the game.
"The objective of the back four was to keep a clean sheet and we knew if we did that we would be in the SPL next season," he said.
"It wasn't pretty and we had some great chances to score. Just like our season we had opportunities we should have buried and almost got punished.
"The more the game goes on the more nervous you get and we knew that Hibs were winning. We had to make sure we got the point and we are in the SPL."
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