Aberdeen are top of the Scottish Premiership table and have become the team everyone wants to catch in the top flight. But midfielder Jonny Hayes insists the Dons are nowhere near realising their potential.
Derek McInnes’ Reds lead champions Celtic by a point and have the chance to extend their lead to four points this weekend at St Mirren, while the Hoops enjoy a winter training break.
The Dons’ rise to the top of the pile has been built on a seven-game winning run without the loss of a goal but Hayes is adamant there is still room for improvement.
He said: “Last season we had some very good performances but we let ourselves down on the consistency side of things.
“We are currently doing a bit better as far as that goes, even if there is a long way to go to where we want to be.
“I would like to think 2015 can be even better than last year was as the aim is to get better and better no matter what you do.
“It was great to win the League Cup to get that first bit of silverware but obviously we are out of the Scottish Cup now.
“The manager’s approach has always been ‘one game at a time’ and that’s the way we always work. That’s what we will continue to do and I’m sure the likes of United, Caley Thistle and Hamilton will do the same.”
Former Caley Thistle midfielder Hayes’ confidence stems from the fact the current Dons team is a young one which has still to realise its potential.
The League Cup win of 2014 was the first step in what the Irishman hopes will be an annual push for trophies and with the majority of the squad under contract for the next couple of years he hopes to see more days like the one in March at Parkhead.
He said: “It was nice to get that first bit of silverware in the manager’s first full season and it makes us hungry for more.
“The average age of the squad now is about 25 or 26, so it is a young squad of players. You have the likes of myself, Adam Rooney, Niall McGinn and Andy Considine all signed long term who are in that age bracket.
“Then there are younger players like Ryan Jack and Peter Pawlett who are younger but already mainstays in the team.
“Below even that players like Cammy Smith, Nicky Low, Craig Murray and Lawrence Shankland are pushing for places as well. We are looking to the future and what looks like being a settled squad for the next few years.”