Aberdeen goalkeeper Jamie Langfield has urged his team-mates to remain positive, despite the defeat by rock- bottom Hearts at Pittodrie.
The Dons were beaten 3-1, had midfielder Barry Robson sent off and will be without Willo Flood for several weeks after the Irish midfielder suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury.
The loss followed four shutout wins for the Dons which had lifted them into second place in the table.
The chance for redemption will have to wait until after the international break when they travel to face Celtic on November 23. But with the Dons third in the Premiership table and also in the semi-finals of the League Cup, Langfield reckons there is still plenty of reason for optimism.
He said: “It was disappointing we couldn’t see the game out but we have won four of our last five games, so we have to stay positive. We will dust ourselves down for the Celtic match and use the disappointment from the Hearts game as a catalyst to drive us on.”
The goalkeeper, now in his ninth season with the club, reckons Derek McInnes has assembled one of the best Aberdeen squads in recent times.
Langfield, 33, played a leading role in the run to the last 32 of the Uefa Cup during the 2007-08 season but believes this season’s crop is equally as good.
He added: “The squad is brilliant. I know we always speak about the 11 players who start but the manager instils the importance of the entire group.
“When we won in the League Cup at Motherwell, all the squad celebrated as if they had played. The manager wants us all together. We train and work hard together and no one is left out. It has worked for us.
“Under Jimmy Calderwood we had a really strong squad, but the current manager has also built a strong squad.”
Northern Ireland international Josh Magennis could be available for the Celtic match after undergoing a knee operation last month.