STAYING POWER KEY FOR DYLAN

DYLAN McGEOUCH has resolved to retain his place at Aberdeen as he prepares to enter the final six months of his contract. The midfielder had a sparkling start to the season — winning all four of the games he started. But having featured in the League Cup defeat to Raith Rovers, the 28-year-old was rendered a spectator for the next seven matches as the Dons began a dismal run of ten games without a win. Restored to the side which drew with Rangers and then beat Hearts, McGeouch has a personal interest in ensuring the recent upturn in form continues today against Motherwell at Pittodrie. ‘I am into my last season,’ he said. ‘I’ve been waiting patiently for a chance to play. I’ve come in for the last few games and we’ve had a couple of good results. So, yes, it’s an important period for me. ‘Hopefully I can stay in the team, keep the standards and, if we can keep winning, then we’ll see what happens. ‘For me, the future’s just about the next few games and trying to concentrate on myself and the team and try to get a few results.’ McGeouch’s inactivity on the sidelines would have been hard enough had the Dons been winning. But as the club were stumbling from one adverse result to the next, he found being a spectator even worse. ‘It’s a hard place for everyone, the boys who are playing, the fans, but especially when you’re not playing,’ added McGeouch. ‘It’s frustrating. You want to be playing. When the manager puts you in, you’re ready to show what you can do. I hope I’ve done that.’ McGeouch’s value at set-pieces was illustrated when he delivered the corners from which Scott Brown and Lewis Ferguson scored against Rangers and Hearts, respectively. Content that his hard work on the training ground is bearing fruit, he said: ‘A lot of teams are looking at that now, it’s just the way football is at the moment. ‘Sometimes it’s fine margins and set-pieces can decide games. You see a lot of teams hiring set-piece specialists. ‘We put a lot of work into it and, over the whole season, it’s paid off. We’ve scored a lot of goals from set-plays. ‘Everyone’s buying into it. If it’s going to be the deciding factor in games, then I hope we can use it to our advantage.’ McGeouch comes up against former Celtic team-mate Tony Watt today, with the Motherwell striker’s eight goals to date making him a potent threat to the Dons’ ambitions of moving up to fifth place. ‘Tony is having a good season and he’s scored a few goals,’ said McGeouch. ‘He’s going to be a threat. ‘Motherwell will have a game plan and for us it’s about nullifying that and trying not to give them too many chances. ‘But we will have a game plan, too, and hopefully we will come out on top.’