ONE step at a time. “What’s right in front of us is food, drink and sleep,” said a frazzled European captain Thomas Bjorn as he refused to look beyond the basics of refuelling and recharging ahead of the final day of the Ryder Cup.

His players served up the tasty dish that is a 10-6 lead but Bjorn has been round the block plenty of times to know that fortunes can change quickly amid the frenzied ebb and flow of the head-to-head singles shoot-outs.

Bjorn’s own debut in the Ryder Cup was in 1997 at Valderrama where Europe led 10½-5½ heading into the singles and held on grimly for a narrow one-point victory as the USA mounted the kind of final-day charge that should have been accompanied by a bugle.

The Dane was also a vice-captain in 2012 when Europe conjured their own heroic recovery to overhaul a 10-6 deficit and win by a solitary point. In this game, it is always best not to expect anything – except the unexpected.

“You always keep reminding yourself that we had a big lead at Valderrama and won . . . but only just,” Bjorn reflected. “We had a big lead at Brookline [in 1999] and lost. At Medinah we were a long way behind and we turned it round. History will show me and the team that it’s not over. It’s never over until you’ve got the points on the board.”

In that quest to rack up those points, Bjorn has put some heavy artillery out at the top of the order. Rory McIlroy will lead the assault against Justin Thomas in the opening match with the vast experience of Paul Casey and Justin Rose following on behind.

“Rory likes that responsibility,” said Bjorn who has spread his ­resources with the inspired Francesco Molinari and the dependable Henrik Stenson bolstering the ranks of the tail-gunners.

“I went with this group of guys like this because I think it covers all the way through the order,” added Bjorn. “Sunday is a different beast. It’s the individual performances that come forward.

“It’s great to be out there with a partner when things are going good, but when you’re out there ­individually, you know, then you’re tested to the full as a golfer.

“That’s the message that you need to get across to players. Get the best out of yourself on Sunday. You leave your partner behind.”

The weight of history is stacked against the Americans. The fact they haven’t won on European soil in 25 years merely adds to the burdens. USA captain Jim Furyk, whose decision-making has been open to criticism over the past couple of days, was part of Ben Crenshaw’s side which fought back from 10-6 down to win in 1999 at Brookline.

“I remember every damn word of it,” said Furyk of Crenshaw’s rallying cry on the eve of the singles as he tried to channel a similar energy.

Furyk was also a member of the 2012 team which was on the ­receiving end of a European surge.

“That was one of the worst days of my career,” he added. “The feeling of the momentum switching, hearing the European crowd and looking at the board and seeing all the blue? That’s a tough feeling to stomach.

“It’s probably in the top three on my list of worst nightmares in golf. I learned a lot from that experience. There’s always an ebb and flow. You get out there and there could be three red scores up on the board and you look up the next time and there are three blues.

“I hope we get some red up there and get some momentum.”

Having gained a share of the ­afternoon spoils yesterday to at least repair some of the earlier damage, the actions of Jordan Spieth gave Furyk hope heading into the closing day.

In a fine partnership with Thomas, the visiting duo overcame McIlroy and Ian Poulter in the foursomes to grab a vital point. Spieth pounded his chest, in a fashion similar to Poulter at Medinah when he won late on the Saturday.

“The last time I saw that [the beat of the chest] from a team that was four points down was then and it worked out pretty good for them,” he said. “Hopefully it sparks us.”