Writing such a sentence is not what I would have expected at any point in 2008. I can chronicle every way in which this season has gone astray, but I’ll save that for a later date when the epilogue of this season will be written with finality.

Instead of recapping what this team has failed to do, I will focus on what is to be done.

The RailHawks (4-9-9) are playing for their season Friday against Miami (5-8-9) at WakeMed Soccer Park. It’s as simple as that. Three points and they’re back in the playoff chase. A loss and the season is over. Though they will have seven games remaining and not be mathematically eliminated with a defeat this week, I don’t see any way they can recover from their winless streak hitting 10 games.

In order to avoid this season’s demise, or even to fight it off for at least another week, the RailHawks need to demonstrate the one thing that’s been sorely lacking for two months — heart.

They should be ashamed of the way they have taken their home field in Cary the last several games. They laid an egg against Puerto Rico on July 18, they sleepwalked early against Vancouver on Aug. 1, and they completed the trifecta of ineptitude against previously last-place Montreal on Friday.

Their fans have clearly had enough. On Friday, several disgruntled onlookers launched their souvenir Frisbees on the field, and a smattering of “Fire Schweitzer” chants echoed throughout the park, a shameful display for sure but a telling one nonetheless.

Despite the black cloud hovering over the park, players remain optimistic.

“I think we’ve got to stay positive,” said forward Dan Antoniuk after training Monday morning. “If we just harp on the negative, it’s not going to help. So we’ve got to stay positive even though we’re not getting the results we want. We’ve got to worry about the next game.”

The negative, however, is hard not to harp on. The reality is this: the RailHawks have not won any of their last nine matches (0-5-4), a streak that dates to June 27. Since their seven-game unbeaten streak (3-0-4) to start the season, they are a woeful 1-9-5. They have been shut out in five of their last six games. They are in last place in the USL First Division. Those are the undeniable facts.

“You look at the standings and you see yourself down there and it sucks,” said midfielder Martin Nuñez. “It’s terrible. But we’re professionals and we’ve got to be positive and have a strong mind.”

A strong mind, that is something this team has not shown it possesses. The RailHawks completely lack discipline. At the first sign of adversity, they wilt. That helps explain why they are 0-20-6 all-time when they concede the first goal.

The RailHawks must maintain their composure when they face adversity on Friday. They cannot afford any senseless cards like the red card David Stokes saw for his reckless tackle on Leonardo Di Lorenzo in the 88th minute against Montreal last week — the third time in 10 games he’s been ejected — or the red card Chad Dombrowski inexplicably drew for running his mouth while warming up on the sideline shortly thereafter. That boneheaded display should draw an extra game suspension for its sheer stupidity.

The RailHawks must not make excuses anymore. They cannot blame the officiating, which is as pathetic an excuse as there is. Everyone knows USL-1 officials are abominable. Deal with it. On Friday, defender Mauricio Segovia violated the one rule we were all taught as youths: play the whistle. His decision to appeal to the linesman for an offside call that wasn’t even close allowed Montreal forward Severino Jefferson the space to break in and end the game 10 minutes in.

On Monday, there was talk of resiliency, perseverance and about how all year they’ve put the work in. They’re due.

“It’s been a crazy year,” coach Scott Schweitzer said. “We’ve just got to keep fighting.”

No, they’ve got to show some backbone. They owe it to themselves to prove to all of us who are shoveling dirt on their grave that we are wrong.

And it all starts with heart.