Defiant keeper Dimitar Mitov refuses to waver on his belief Aberdeen can finish third in the Premiership this season.
Bulgaria international Mitov says if you go into games not believing positive things can happen “you are already on the back foot”.
Which is why he will face Celtic at Pittodrie on Wednesday buoyed by the power of positive thought.
Third-placed Hibs hold a three-point advantage and a superior goal difference over Aberdeen with only two Premiership games remaining.
The 28-year-old accepts accepts the Dons are now underdogs for third – but aims to beat Celtic and Dundee United to end the league campaign.
‘Stranger things have happened’
A realist, Mitov admits it still might not be enough – but he will not give up hope.
Mitov said: “We have to pick up wins and that starts against Celtic.
“It’s going to be really difficult because Hibs need to lose or draw maybe, and we need to win both games.
“But stranger things have happened in football before, so we have to believe.
“If you go into a game not believing things can happen then you’re already on the back foot.
“So for us, it’s about having the mentality to always perform, always try to win.
“When you have that mentality, it gives you confidence and belief.
“If you’ve got that, people want to run more, want to defend more and attack more.
“It’s crazy what a positive attitude can do for a squad.
“You have to be positive, because when you have a negative mindset, you’re never going to succeed – not just in football, in life in general.
“The older you become, the more games you play, the more confident you become in yourself.
“You need to back it up – you can talk, but you need to back it up.
“We want to show how good we are and I feel this is a good game for that.”
Signed from St Johnstone last summer, Mitov was one of the first additions in the rebuild of the squad under manager Jimmy Thelin.
Thelin fostering positive attitude
Under the Swede, the Reds are battling for European qualification and will contest the Scottish Cup final against Celtic later this month.
Mitov says this positive attitude – even in the face of adversity after a loss at Rangers – is a fundamental component of the culture fostered by Thelin.
He explained: “Everyone comes in with a smile on their face. They want to be here fighting for Europe and fighting for trophies.
“It’s really important to have that mentality in the team – not just from one or two players, but everyone in the team.
“You always have to be confident and come in every day with a smile.
“Speak to people, set an example, set standards – when people see that they want to follow, they want to do better.
“It’s not just me doing that – we have a lot of characters and leaders.
“We are building that culture the manager wants and when everyone has that it drives you forward. ”
Aberdeen will have to quickly recover from a sobering loss at Ibrox where they conceded four goals in the second half.
‘Frustration because I was angry’
Mitov prevented an even heavier loss with seven saves in the 4-0 loss to Rangers.
After one save, the keeper punched the Ibrox pitch in anger.
He explained why.
Mitov said: “I was really frustrated – I don’t really do that.
“I’m not one of the goalkeepers who screams after making a save or anything like that.
“But it was frustration because I knew it wasn’t our best day.
“We were losing 3-0 and in games like that you’re trying to keep the score as little as possible.
“Sometimes goal difference matters.
“It’s one thing losing 1-0 compared to 4-0, that looks very different.
“It was just frustration because I was angry.”
No doubts over players’ commitment
Aberdeen have a number of players out of contract at the end of the season or loan deals that expire.
When asked if players remain fully committed, even if they may not be at Pittodrie next season, Mitov said: “100 per cent.
“Because if you don’t do that, you should never be here.
“Every single player needs to be committed to this football club, because it means so much to the city – it means so much to the fans.
“And when you sign a contract playing for a special club like Aberdeen, you need to be on it.
“It doesn’t matter whether you have a five-year contract or a six-month contract.
“And let me tell you – if somebody’s not on it, they’re going to be told. Because there are experienced players in this changing room, that if they see somebody slacking, somebody not doing their work, they’re going to be told.
“But that’s not the case.
“Everybody here is committed to the one cause we’ve all been waiting for.
“We want to finish in Europe and hopefully we’ll win something.”
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