Aberdeen midfielder Peter Pawlett insists the Dons are not feeling the pace of the Premiership title race.
The Pittodrie side’s faint hopes of pushing Celtic all the way to the line appear to be over after they were held at home to a goalless draw with Partick on Saturday.
The stalemate means Celtic have sprinted further ahead and now hold a seven-point lead at the table summit as well as a game in hand.
Pawlett insists Saturday’s draw was just a bad day at the office and not a sign of tiredness creeping into Aberdeen legs.
The 24-year-old, who hopes to bounce back when his side hosts Inverness tonight, said: “As players we were disappointed coming off the pitch. We did not perform to the levels that we can. It was disappointing but at least we have a game straight away to put things right. We have a chance to bounce back.
“I wish I could put my finger on what went wrong on Saturday. It is just one of those things, it did not click for us. Sometimes that happens in football. You have got to learn from it, accept it and move on. It is close to the end of the season but we want to finish as strongly as possible.
“The players are feeling as fresh as we can do at this stage of the campaign and we are all looking forward to the run in.”