Aberdeen defender Nicky Devlin insists it is now “full steam ahead” in the bid to finish third in the Premiership.
After tasting European group-stage action, the full-back is determined to secure a return to that level of continental competition again next season.
However the 30-year-old accepts Aberdeen’s league position is way off where they need to be if aspirations of finishing third are to be realised.
Aberdeen are currently eighth in the Premiership table.
The Dons’ Euro campaign has now finished having failed to progress from Group G of the Europa Conference League.
Devlin reckons the “real Aberdeen” will begin to emerge in the Premiership now that there are no distractions from league action.
The Reds will bid for a third straight league win when facing Dundee away at Dens Park today.
Devlin said: “If we could get back (to the Euro groups) we would be better for it.
“We are a bit more experienced now.
“That is where we want to be.
“However we are sitting in an area of the table where we don’t want to be.
“We have talked about that as a squad.
“There are no more distractions up until the Clyde game in the Scottish Cup (January 19) to take our mind off the league.
“It has to be full steam ahead.
“We have two wins-in-a-row in the league and we need to keep building on that.
“We know how difficult Dundee will be.
“It will be tough but we want to get three points and to push on.”
Call for the ‘real Aberdeen’ to turn up
Aberdeen are languishing in the bottom six of the Premiership with a return of just 19 points from 16 games.
The Dons have won their previous two league fixtures against Livingston (2-1) and Hearts (2-1), both at Pittodrie.
Those league wins were sandwiched either side of a 1-0 Viaplay Cup final loss to Rangers at Hampden, where the Reds were denied two penalty claims.
Aberdeen face four games before the Scottish top flight goes into a near three week winter shutdown on January 2.
Following the Dundee clash Aberdeen play Motherwell (h), St Mirren (h) and Ross County (a).
Devlin reckons if the “real Aberdeen” turn up the Reds can take maximum points from the festive fixture run.
He said: “With the start we have had we know we aren’t going to win two or three and jump back up the league.
“It was always going to be gradual.
“We need to keep ticking the games off and winning.
“We feel like we have a batch of fixtures where we can win games.
“We know they are all going to be difficult but if the real Aberdeen turns up then we can win these games.
“We have to build it game by game and get as many wins as we can”
Unwanted record finally ends
Aberdeen have salvaged victories in their previous two league matches after falling behind.
In battling back from 1-0 to beat Hearts earlier this month the Dons finally ended a long-running, unwanted record.
The Reds had previously failed to win any of the previous 23 Premiership matches where they had conceded the first goal.
Devin said: “There are going to be games where this season we go behind and we will need to get back in and take points from it.
“We have shown good character and proven we we can come back from it.
“There was a long period when that wasn’t the case.
“When the team went behind and we couldn’t come back.
“It would be ideal if we didn’t go behind in these games.
“However, at least we know we have the character to come back.”
‘We need to stop falling behind’
That run without Aberdeen winning a league game they had conceded first dates back to long before Barry Robson rebuilt the squad.
Robson overhauled the Dons with 14 new signings in the summer transfer window, with Devlin the first addition.
The failure to battle back to salvage a win after falling behind in the league was a problem that had over-run from previous squads.
It has now been fixed.
Asked if that unwanted run had been discussed by the players, Devlin said: “You see people mention it (run) before it is broken.
“It is too difficult to get caught up in.
“It was before we came and there has been a big turnaround in players.
“You see it all the time when a team hasn’t won in a stadium for so many years – but it hasn’t been this team.
“It has been over the course of a few seasons.
“It is a sign that we can come back but we need to stop falling behind and making it a bit easier to win games.”
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