Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has called on his players to rediscover their mean streak.
The Dons missed out on the chance to reclaim second spot in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Hamilton Accies at New Douglas Park.
Aberdeen’s lacklustre showing was evident from the first minute, with defenders guilty of individual errors and, with his attacking players failing to add to Kenny McLean’s fourth-minute strike, the Dons were eventually punished.
Having watched his side keep just one clean sheet in the last eight matches, McInnes knows there is room for improvement.
He said: “I’m disappointed we didn’t make the most of going in 1-0 up at half-time. We were not at our best in the 90 minutes and we looked edgy at times defensively.
“We tried to play in the wrong areas and put unnecessary pressure on ourselves at times. We didn’t look convincing enough to suggest we would keep a clean sheet for 90 minutes and it’s something we need to improve.
“We got into good areas and looked a threat but we just couldn’t get the second goal. When we got the ball down and played in the wide areas we looked like ourselves. But we didn’t stand up to the questions asked of us as well as we can and we invited pressure on ourselves.
“We’ve been better in the last few games and we’ve come away with a point from Hamilton when we were not at our best but it feels like two points dropped as we were 1-0 up at the break.”
The disappointment of not taking all three points was compounded by the fact the Dons were unable to take advantage of the two sides above them, Celtic and Hearts, drawing on Saturday.
But McInnes remains relaxed about his side’s prospects for the rest of the campaign.
He said: “There’s 69 points still available, so it’s really early to be obsessed about things like that. Our own fight is with ourselves at present and it’s too early to look at anyone else.
“We’re confident we will win enough games over the course of the season to achieve what is expected of us but we’ve got to make sure we take the positives from Sunday into the Ross County game as they will be tough opponents.
“There will be many more points to play for and it’s important we take as many of them as possible.”