The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Dons fighting on two fronts, insists legend
Aberdeen legend Russell Anderson reckons reaching the Scottish Cup final can help the Dons clinch second place in the Premiership.
Derek McInnes’ side set up an end of season Hampden showdown with Celtic after overcoming Hibs in last Saturday’s dramatic 3-2 victory.
The Dons are also in the driving seat to secure the runners-up place in the league behind champions Celtic after opening up a nine-point lead over Rangers ahead of their first post-split fixture at home to St Johnstone this weekend.
Former Scotland defender Anderson, who moved into a business development role at Pittodrie when he retired as a player in 2015, insists having a cup final to look forward to will aid the players in their bid to keep Rangers at bay.
He said: “It’s two fronts we’re fighting on at the moment. First and foremost before the cup final we want to secure second place.
“There is a huge incentive there to try and keep the performances up and get in that team for the end of the season.
“The manager touched on it before the Hibs game and he challenged the players before the St Johnstone game to prove they were worthy of a place in the team on Saturday.
“And I’m sure he’ll be using the same motivation in the remaining games of this season to try and get the players to play as well as they can so they’re in fine fettle when that game comes around on May 27. There will be a real buzz about the club between now and May.
“It’s a sign of the progress that the club have made under the manager but he won’t be happy, he always striving for improvement.
“He has got a good set of players that will give their all for the club. You know for the fact they will wear their heart on their sleeve and they will do everything to get a result and a performance for the team.”