Aberdeen attacker Adam Rooney is determined not to let the city’s celebrations fall flat after the League Cup final win.
The Dons players earned hero status in the eyes of their long-suffering support when they ended a trophy wait which had stretched to 19 years by beating Caley Thistle at Parkhead on Sunday.
The euphoria has continued all week, with a campaign to get the Human League song Don’t You Want Me – adopted as an anthem for Dons star Peter Pawlett – back to number one in the charts after 32 years.
In addition, there will be an open-top bus parade of the players down Union Street tomorrow, followed by a civic reception.
For Rooney, who scored the winning penalty in the Parkhead shootout, the celebrations have been memorable. But he knows the mood will dampen if the Dons fail to keep the momentum going against Kilmarnock at Pittodrie today.
He said: “It’s been a brilliant few days. The fans we had there meant there was a lot of expectation on us but we believed we could do it and, although it took us until penalty kicks, we won the cup.
“But the main thing is to focus on the league now. We cant get carried away despite winning the League Cup. We’ve a lot of important games coming up and very difficult games.
“I hope there will be a lot of fans there at Pittodrie to welcome the League Cup winners back home. But we cant afford to slip up. We need to work hard and take each game as it comes.
“That’s why we’ve been so successful this season and we need to keep up that work-rate and attitude if we want to keep going.
“We cant let our standards slip. This can’t be the end of the season. It has to be the kick-start for something more. We want to achieve more. We’ve got a taste for success and we want to keep it going. But it will require hard work to stay where we are and to do well in the Scottish Cup.”
Rooney, who was named Premiership player of the month for February, has made a massive impact in his short time at Pittodrie, scoring six goals in nine games after his move from Oldham Athletic.
Already a cup winner and supporters’ favourite, former Caley Jags attacker Rooney is revelling in his return to Scottish football, but Sunday’s success has made him hungry for more.
He added: “Things have gone much better for me here. I just fit into the team, it seems to suit my style more. We are very creative and play a lot of balls into the box. Thankfully I’m getting on the end of a lot of them at the minute. Hopefully it’s just the beginning.
“It has been an incredible few weeks for me. It’s the first major trophy I’ve won and it’s the same for a lot of the lads.”