Boss Stephen Glass has warned in-form Aberdeen are ‘hungry’ to keep their resurgence going.
Glass insists there can be no let up after a successful week which reignited the Dons’ faltering season.
Aberdeen secured seven points from a triple-header against Hearts, Rangers and Hibs to move back into the Premiership top six.
Glass’ rejuvenated Reds have emerged from a challenging 10-game winless streak which piled pressure on both the manager and his squad.
With Motherwell next – at Pittodrie tomorrow – Glass has challenged his side to keep the momentum, and the feel-good factor, going with another three points.
He said: “They are hungry to keep it going.
“It’s important we have an intensity from the first minute.
“The fact we are in this position, believing in the players that they can produce these performances, shows there is a standard we have set from start to finish.
“The players are enjoying feeling the outside plaudits rather than the criticism.
“The challenge is to keep it going against a Motherwell team that are hard to play against.
“I was getting asked a few weeks ago when we have some of the top teams coming up in Hibs, Hearts and Rangers and I was continually making sure Motherwell were included in there.
“We knew the game against Motherwell finished off the period before the international break.
“Motherwell beat us at their place (2-0, September 11) earlier in the season and we won’t be under-estimating them from this side of the fence.
“You will see that from the players.”
No negativity even amid winless slump
Glass has no fresh injury concerns for the Motherwell clash, but confirmed he will still be without defenders Calvin Ramsay, Jack MacKenzie and Declan Gallagher.
Aberdeen battled back from a goal behind at half-time against Hearts last weekend to secure a 2-1 win to extend the unbeaten run to three matches.
Glass insists the resurgence in form has not changed the mood in the Dons camp – because it was always upbeat.
He accepts the outside perception during the 10-game winless streak, the club’s worst run of form since 2010, was that it would be doom and gloom within Pittodrie and the Cormack Park training facility.
Glass insists the opposite was true.
He claims no-one was down because there was a belief and confidence it would come right.
Chairman Dave Cormack came out and made public that belief – just two days after a 2-1 loss at Dundee – by backing the manager.
Glass said: “There hasn’t been a big change in the training.
“There has been more of a positive feel, of course there has been, but there was never a hugely negative vibe about the place before either.
“I say that and people think I am lying, but we have a group of players who are positive everyday they come in and that was why the belief was there that we could turn it.
“It’s really important that it continues or you get nothing for it.”
Keep the momentum going into the break
The Pittodrie clash with Motherwell is Aberdeen’s last game before the Premiership goes into cold storage for a weekend to accommodate the international fixtures.
Glass wants to go into the international break with relentless momentum and 10 points from 12.
We want to go into the break on the back of a good performance and a win, but we know how hard it will be.
“We also know what it feels like winning here at Pittodrie on a Saturday afternoon.
“The boys want to feel that again.”
Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass
He accepts the outcome of the match will define the perception of how the mood is in the Aberdeen camp over the international break – but will not affect the reality of the mindset within a squad that he insists did not plummet into negativity and self doubt during the worst run in a decade.
He said: “We want to go into the break on the back of a good performance and a win, but we know how hard it will be.
“We also know what it feels like winning here at Pittodrie on a Saturday afternoon.
“The boys want to feel that again
“It (result v Motherwell) will define the perception of the atmosphere around the place.
📺 All The Angles 📺
⚽ No harm in watching @MarleyWatkins superb finish from Saturday a few more times. pic.twitter.com/hEIT0w2DC3
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) November 1, 2021
“I think the atmosphere within here will still be fine.
“I’m hoping that’s knocked out of the park anyway, that we go and win and everyone can’t say that it’s not going to be a happy place to be.
“We’ve got a number of players away on international duty.
“Hopefully we’ve got a few who are getting back towards fitness over that period as well.”
No fresh injury concerns for boss Glass
Glass confirmed defenders Ramsay, MacKenzie and Gallagher will all miss the Motherwell game through injury.
Scotland U21 international Ramsay, 18, was forced off just 30 minutes into the game against Hibs with a quad muscle problem.
Scotland international centre-back Gallagher came off in the 43rd minute against Hibs and needed crutches, having suffered a hamstring injury.
Left-back MacKenzie missed the defeat of Hibs after suffering an ankle injury during training.
Glass said: “We have no fresh injuries, but we also have no one back that has been out.
“We go with the same group that we had last week.
“We are looking for more of the same results-wise and performance-wise from the same group of players.”