Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes is determined to wring out every last ounce of energy from his side as the Dons chase Scottish Cup glory and a second place finish in the Scottish Premiership.
The Dons moved three points clear of Rangers in second place courtesy of a 2-0 win at Motherwell on Tuesday and with six league matches remaining plus a cup semi-final meeting with Well at Hampden next weekend the Aberdeen manager insists his players are ready to give their all.
McInnes said: “I’m very pleased with what we’re getting and the mindset of the players is that they want to do something this season.
“For us to finish second this year we’ll have to overcome the biggest challenge probably in two big teams around us and we’re determined to fight tooth and nail to be second again and be back in Europe.
“We’ve secured Europe at this stage in the past and even secured second place as well but it is clear the post-split matches are going to be crucial this season.
“That’s the way it should be for an Aberdeen team and hopefully we can rinse everything out of this team before the end of the season.”
McInnes was delighted with the display from his players at Fir Park against their Scottish Cup semi-final opponents.
He said: “Anytime you win on the road especially at a team like Motherwell you have to do a lot of things right and our possession, choice of passing and movement was very good. The only disappointment at half-time was that we hadn’t scored.
“Once we scored though we were confident and the second goal epitomised the quality we are capable of.
“It’s no mean feat against Motherwell as I hold them in high regard so we were very pleased with our night’s work.”
Stevie May and Greg Stewart have played key roles in the last two victories against Motherwell and St Johnstone and McInnes hopes both men can continue to flourish in the remaining matches starting with tomorrow’s trip to Edinburgh to face Hearts in the final game before the split.
He said: “For us to fully expect players who have spent a lot of time not playing to come in and hit the ground running is asking a lot.
“People remember how you finish a season, not how you start it, and both Stevie and Greg have been very good recently.
“Stevie’s had some injuries and Greg has had competition for a place but hopefully their performances are a sign of what we are capable of in the last six games of the season and the semi-final next weekend.”