Goal hero Lewis Ferguson warned rivals Aberdeen aim to be relentless in the bid to keep their resurgence on track.
The Dons defeated Hearts 2-1 to cap a memorable week that has reignited their season.
In-form Aberdeen beat Hearts and Hibs and also drew with league leaders Rangers to jump back into the Premiership’s top six.
Scotland international Ferguson insists there can be no let up in the revival that has moved the Dons to within six points of third-placed Hearts.
He said: “We can’t just turn up for big games and produce performances, we have to do it week in week out.
“Aberdeen is a big club and that is demanded of you – success is demanded.
“We need to produce winning performances every single week.
“Starting next week we need to keep this run going.”
Rapid rise from ‘rock bottom’
What a difference two weeks make.
In losing 2-1 to then bottom side Dundee on October 17 the Dons slumped to a fifth successive Premiership defeat as a winless run hit 10 games.
Mired in the club’s worst run of form since 2010 Ferguson was brutally honest in the immediate aftermath of that loss at Dens Park and admitted the Dons had hit ‘rock bottom’.
Just two days after that loss chairman Dave Cormack came out and publicly backed Stephen Glass as pressure continued to mount on the manager and his team.
Ferguson said: “We had to turn it round.
“We had to do that as we couldn’t keep that run going.
“We were on a really bad run and it felt like rock bottom.
“I said that at the time and was honest that we weren’t good enough.
“Games against the likes of Hibs, Rangers and Hearts take care of themselves, the big games.
“I think they probably came at a good time for us.
“From the outside if someone is looking at it they would think it’s a bad run of games to go into when you are not playing great.
“But it came at a good time for us and we managed to take points.
“It’s been a really good week’s work.”
Confidence back in Aberdeen squad
Aberdeen now host Motherwell at Pittodrie on Saturday before the international break, where Ferguson will be hopeful of retaining a spot in the Scotland squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Denmark.
Ferguson insists confidence is now restored within Pittodrie after a shaky period.
He said: “When you start to pick up points the team spirit obviously takes care of itself.
“I wouldn’t say it was really bad, but it was down, everyone was low on confidence when we were on the bad run.
“Then all of a sudden you win a couple of big games and it is back to where it should be.
“Hopefully we can keep this going into the next few games and see where it takes us.”
Dead ball delivery ‘on the money’
Aberdeen were trailing 1-0 to a John Souttar penalty converted just before half-time.
Manager Stephen Glass switched from three at the back at half time to 4-4-2 with Scott Brown moving from centre-back into midfield.
They hit back through a superb Marley Watkins strike before Ferguson headed home from a Dylan McGeouch corner.
It was the second game in a row McGeouch had provided an assist for a goal from a corner having set up Scott Brown’s goal that put Aberdeen two up in the 2-2 draw with Rangers at Ibrox on Wednesday.
Ferguson praised McGeouch’s dead ball delivery.
He said: “The delivery (from McGeouch) was absolutely spot on, right on the money.
“It was the same midweek, right on the money for Broony’s header.
“When the delivery is that good it makes your job so much easier.
“You just have to guide it on target as the pace is on the ball.
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“It was a great height and I was just glad to see it hit the back of the net.
“It is always good when you score a winner.
“I don’t think either side really played that well in the first half as we were cancelling each other out.
“There was a lack of quality in the first half, probably from both sides.
“In the second half we upped it.
“We were told at half-time the standard needs to go up and we did that.”
Halliday said sorry for red card challenge
Hearts were reduced to 10 men in the 89th minute when substitute Andy Halliday threw himself into a challenge that left Ferguson poleaxed.
Referee Kevin Clancy immediately brandished a deserved red card.
Ferguson revealed Halliday apologised for the challenge.
He said: “I spoke to him outside the dressing room.
“He said he thought he was going to come across and take the ball.
“It was hard to see him because of the sun but I could see him out the corner of my eye and managed just to ride the challenge.
“I don’t know if it was a bad one but I managed to ride it.
“I spoke to him and he apologised.
“There are no hard feelings but I have not seen it back so I don’t know if it’s a really bad one or not.”