Second-best is still first class

Finishing as runners-up would be incredible, insists McInnes

ABERDEEN manager Derek McInnes last night declared finishing second in the Premiership for a third successive season would represent an ‘incredible’ achievement. Currently 12 points clear of third-placed Rangers, the Dons can all but wrap up the runners-up spot with victory over Pedro Caixinha’s team at Pittodrie today. Although the vast improvement of Celtic under Brendan Rodgers prevented McInnes’ team from mounting any realistic sort of title challenge, he insisted that the renewed threat from Rangers, Hearts and St Johnstone has made the task of securing second as tough as it has been during his four years in charge.

And he points to a Rangers wage bill more than double his own as a barometer of how successful Aberdeen’s players have been.

‘I stress it to the players every week,’ he said. ‘Since it became clear in October that Celtic would win the league, I have said it would be an incredible achievement to be above St Johnstone, Hearts and Rangers.

‘All three clubs, at different stages, have stated publicly they were coming for us. In the last 18 months, Hearts have seen us as a target — we are 20 points ahead of them, 15 ahead of St Johnstone and 12 ahead of Rangers. That’s huge. The difference in budgets doesn’t equate to the difference in points.

‘We have a bigger budget than St Johnstone but we’re there or thereabouts with Hearts and miles behind Rangers in terms of what we can pay.’

McInnes admits that, with only seven league games left, a draw would not be a bad result for his team today, but believes his players will set out to extend the winning run that brought him the Ladbrokes Manager of the Month award for March (left).

He added: ‘At this stage in the season, if you’re ahead, you want to maintain the gap first and foremost.

‘But we’ve always looked to stretch it and that will be the case again.’