Former Aberdeen boss Craig Brown insists Aberdeen can go on to clinch a place in Europe this summer if they finish in the top six.
The Dons are four points adrift of sixth-placed Ross County in the Scottish Premiership and five points behind fourth-placed Hibernian, who are the visitors to Pittodrie on Saturday.
The stakes are high for the Dons with just three games before the split left to secure a place in the top half of the table, but Brown, who was in charge from 2010 to 2013, believes the Dons can deliver for new manager Jim Goodwin.
He said: “Top six is a route to top four. If we get top six then we’ll have some momentum and I believe it will take us into Europe, into the top four.
“I’m super optimistic. Sentimentally and logically optimistic.
“For the club and for the new manager, I would want them to be in the top six.”
Experience of previous seasons could be vital for Aberdeen
Aberdeen have qualified for Europe for the past eight years in a row and Brown believes the experience of being regular place holders in the top four in Scotland in that time could be crucial in the final games of the campaign.
He said: “There’s lot to be said for having been over the course before and Jim has good lads in that team.
“We want to see them doing well and they are capable of delivering.
“The new manager is doing the right things and deserves every support.
“He is not in position to sign players and has got to work with what he has got.
“I’d like to hope they manage to get in there.”
Brown frustrated not deliver top six in his final campaign in charge
Brown was only charge of one full campaign with the Dons and his last game in charge at the club was the 1-0 loss to Dundee United at Tannadice on April 6, 2013.
Rory Boulding’s injury time goal gave United the win they needed to pip Kilmarnock and the Dons to a top six finish, but Brown remains proud of the progress the club made while he was at the helm.
Aberdeen were bottom of the table in December 2010 and in danger of being relegated when Brown and Archie Knox arrived at the club from Motherwell and the Dons boss is satisfied the club was left in good shape for his successor Derek McInnes.
He said: “I genuinely think what we did to save the club and get them where they were was as hard a job as anything.
“People say Archie and I stabilised the club and I think that’s true without being immodest about it. We did really well in difficult circumstances.
“We were annoyed we didn’t get a top six place given the team had been bottom of the league when we arrived.
“But to go from 10 points from 16 games to playing our last game in charge with a chance to make top six during a challenging period for the club was no mean feat.
“Niall McGinn played an important part in that in our last season. He was the best striker we had.
“He was a good winger for Derek McInnes, but through the middle he was outstanding for us. To score 21 goals in our last season puts him up there with the best the club has had.”
