Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass is counting on the return of Ryan Hedges to inject a creative spark into his side as they bid to stop a seven-game winless run.
The Dons were beaten 1-0 by St Johnstone at Pittodrie on Saturday with Stevie May’s goal consigning his former club to back-to-back defeats in the Premiership.
It has been a tough start to September for the Reds, but manager Glass hopes the return of key players, including Hedges, can get the Dons back on track.
He said: “I pick a team which is capable of winning games every week. When you have had Hedges, Andy Considine, Marley Watkins and Austin Samuels missing, you’ll feel it.
“Ryan has a bit of imagination, less predictable at times. We’ve got a lot of players of a similar type in Marley, Austin and Hedges – they are three players who haven’t played for us.
“Calvin Ramsay is another one couldn’t played every game and I think you see he is still feeling the effects in his performance, but we have a lot of good players here and we’ll continue to work and make things better.
“It’s a case of getting them all fit and ready and building on what, prior to the last three games, was a pretty good start.”
With his side under scrutiny after a poor run of results, Glass had urged his players to block out the noise, but the Dons fans made their feelings known as they booed their side off at Pittodrie on Saturday.
The Aberdeen manager shares in their frustration, but has called on his players to stay focused.
He said: “It’s expected when you don’t win games, but it is important we focus on what we can control which is performance, workrate and quality.
“You’ve got to get back on it and go to work and there is no way around it. We go to St Mirren next week, which will be difficult, but – if we turn up and do what we should – we believe we can win.
“(St Mirren boss) Jim (Goodwin) will be believing the same thing, but Sunday is an opportunity for us to get back on board. We missed a chance to pick up a couple of points on some rivals, but the results also meant we didn’t fall too far behind.
“If we can start winning games, we’ll start climbing the table.”
Glass expects to have Hedges and Watkins available for Sunday’s trip to Paisley, while David Bates is also expected to be fit despite limping off against St Johnstone.
The Dons boss said: “Marley had a little tightness after Motherwell, but he should be alright for next week. Hedges is ready to come back.
“I think Bates will be okay. He was cramping up, but I don’t think it will be an issue.”