Aberdeen captain Joe Lewis knows points take priority over performances if the Dons are to pull off a rescue act in the final seven games of the Premiership season.
Derek McInnes’ side are four points behind Hibernian in the race for third place with the Hibees also having the advantage of having played a game less than Aberdeen.
The Dons have it all to do but Lewis believes his side can take confidence from their recent performances.
However, he knows plaudits count for little at this stage of the season.
He said: “I don’t want to dwell on performances that haven’t got us results but when you look at the last three games, certainly at Celtic Park we were good.
“We need to take the positives from that and convert them into points going forward.
“Despite the results against Celtic recently unfortunately we came away from both those games with zero points.
“Going forward we have seven league games now to really make the most of.
“Results are all important now. Performances good, bad or indifferent don’t matter anywhere near as much as the result at the moment.”
With only one goal to show from their last eight matches it is clear which area must be rectified immediately if the Dons are to get back in the winning habit but Lewis insists it is not for the want of trying at Pittodrie.
He said: “There has been no lack of effort or work to do that it just hasn’t quite happened.
“It has been a combination of missed chances and a bit of wastefulness coupled with an element of bad luck as well.
“We have hit the underside of crossbars, posts, inside of the posts, a couple of inches either way.
“There was also one that actually went over the line that wasn’t spotted.
“There has been a mixture of those things. We know we can’t leave anything to chance or luck now.
“We have to go out and put in the performances that warrant the three points and get them on Saturday.”
With Hamilton the visitors to Pittodrie today Lewis knows his club faces a side every bit as desperate for three points with Accies in the midst of a relegation dogfight at the bottom of the division.
But the Dons goalkeeper believes the players are ready to fight for their own goals both today and in the weeks ahead.
He said: “There’s not much time left between now and the end of the season so every game is vital and really important to every team now.
“Everyone is fighting for something and now the Scottish Cup is being played it adds another dynamic to it too.
“We have to fight for every point, take it one game at a time and scrap for everything.”
The SFA’s announcement the Scottish Cup will be played to a conclusion this season despite a lengthy break in the competition has also given the Dons captain and his team-mates belief they can rewrite the narrative on their campaign in the final three months of the season.
He said: “If we can get things right in the next few months we might be able to look back on the season with a different look to what it has had at certain stages.
“It’s such a big opportunity to transform our season into something successful.
“The way the competition is going to be, with it so condensed, you don’t need to play well for a massive portion of the season to win the trophy.
“It could just be a team who goes on a really good run and gets the momentum at the right time.
“That could be enough to win you the trophy and hopefully we can be that team.”
St Johnstone’s feat in becoming the team to end Celtic’s grip on Scotland’s domestic trophies last weekend will have given every club in the country renewed belief they can emulate the Perth Saints’ League Cup final win against Livingston and get their name on the cup in May.
Aberdeen, despite their recent struggles, believe they can be cup contenders as they prepare to start their cup campaign at either Huntly or Dumbarton next month.
Lewis said: “I don’t pay too much attention to who wins the cups if we’re not in them, I’m not too bothered.
“But certainly, seeing St Johnstone win it should give teams a bit of inspiration.
“We always feel like the cups are a good opportunity for us to win silverware.
“So we will certainly be looking at the Scottish Cup as a way of making our season a good one instead of an indifferent one.”