Cape Town - Maritzburg United remain adamant that they can beat the drop, and have called on their supporters to rally behind the team.
The KZN side suffered a big blow on Saturday evening when University of Pretoria scored four goals in 15 second-half minutes to secure a 4-2 victory at the Harry Gwala Stadium.
The result left the Team of Choice four points clear of safety, with seven matches to go.
But in a statement issued on their website, the club claimed they believe the situation can still be rectified.
"We are left with seven more games to play, with a game in hand over our rivals. We all know that we have to keep fighting till the last game against Cosmos on the 21st of May 2016," the statement read.
"Survival is still in our hands. The game against Tuks is now a thing of the past. We have to regain our confidence and go into the game against Mpumalanga Black Aces this Friday, with renewed positivity, commitment and desire to win this game.
"Even when things are this bad, we do believe that we are not as bad a team as the log position and results reflect."
Maritzburg had enjoyed great support against AmaTuks, but numerous fans were seen leaving early after the visitors staged their second-half slaughter. The club have appealed to the supporters not to give up on the team.
"We want to give our supporters and football lovers in KZN, our assurance that we will not go down. We need their continued support that they have given us throughout this dreaded season," the statement added.
"We are in this together, therefore as we roll up our sleeves for the next fight, your presence in big numbers at the stadium will be very critical."