Aberdeen Women captain Hannah Stewart believes finishing best of the rest in the SWPL would be just reward for her side’s efforts this season.
The Dons, who finished ninth last season on 30 points, are eight points better off than their final points tally of the last campaign with four matches remaining.
Clint Lancaster’s side head to New Douglas Park on Sunday looking for another three points to strengthen their grip on seventh place in the top-flight.
The Dons are three points clear of Motherwell, who closed the gap thanks to a 4-2 win against Spartans on Wednesday.
Stewart said: “Considering where we were last year, if you had said to us at the start of the season we would be clear in seventh place with four games left to play, I think all of us would have taken it.
“We’re unbeaten in four games and we need to take the confidence which comes from that into the remaining matches.
“We can be happy with where we are and the performances we’ve produced.
“We’ve taken on board exactly what Clint wants us to do and you can see from the performances and results we’ve had this season that it is working.”
‘We need to take that confidence into the remaining games’
It is a measure of the progress being made by the side that, despite being unbeaten in the last four matches, there was a feeling of disappointment at being held to a 3-3 draw by Montrose at Pittodrie on Tuesday.
The Dons may feel as if it was two points dropped, but striker Stewart, the oldest player in the side at 27, believes there were positives to take into Sunday’s game.
Stewart said: “A draw was the fair result. It was a bit scrappy at times and we struggled to get our foot on the ball and play the way we wanted to.
“But we scored three good goals and to come away with a point is something we can be happy about.
“We’re on a good run and we need to take that confidence into the remaining games to secure seventh place, which is our aim.
“We need to be confident, but we need to get back to playing the way we want to and exploit the areas which we didn’t quite manage to do against Montrose.”
Dons skipper grateful for fans’ support
With more than 2,000 fans cheering on the sides, Stewart insists the Pittodrie occasion is one all the players will not forget anytime soon.
The Dons skipper, who was given the armband by manager Lancaster when former captain Nadine Hanssen stepped away from football duties due to her pregnancy, was proud to lead her team-mates out at Pittodrie.
She said: “When I think where I was this time last year, I would never have dreamed of walking the girls out at Pittodrie.
“It was a massive honour and a night I won’t forget.
“It was some turnout and thanks to the fans who came.
“Nights like Tuesday are why we all play, and I hope all the girls, not just the ones who were on the pitch, enjoyed the atmosphere and having all the fans there.”
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