Title talk remains off the agenda at Aberdeen, but confidence is growing after the Dons made it eight straight wins without the loss of a goal.
Goals from Niall McGinn and Shay Logan gave Derek McInnes’ side a 2-0 win at St Mirren on Saturday – re-establishing a four-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership in the process – and midfielder Peter Pawlett insists the players are revelling in the opportunity to lead from the front.
He said: “We’re a good team who get on well off the pitch and it’s showing. We’re all confident and by winning games regularly the confidence grows. The supporters are really upbeat but we’re only halfway there which is why, in the dressing-room, we are keeping a lid on things.
“It’s nice the supporters can get all excited and the away support has been unbelievable. We appreciate it and hope they will keep on coming.”
The Dons have left it late to secure the points recently but bucked the trend in impressive fashion at St Mirren Park, weathering early pressure before scoring twice in two minutes.
The result leaves the Buddies bottom of the division. Pawlett added: “We said we needed to get going as they were on top of us and had possession of the ball but the goal calmed us down and once we relaxed we quickly got the second.
“We defend well, we don’t concede goals and now we’re on this run of clean sheets we want to keep it going. It’s not just the defence which enjoys it. Adam Rooney and David Goodwillie defend from the front and it’s not all about the back four and the goalkeeper.”
Despite moving four points clear of champions Celtic, who are in Gran Canaria on their winter break, Pawlett was the latest player to reject talk of the title.
He said: “We’ve scraped one-goal victories here and there, so to get the second goal quickly and take the pressure off was nice. It was important we got it as well as it put us in control.
“The manager wants us to keep working hard and picking up results and we’re not looking any further than that.”