Aberdeen Women interim manager Gavin Levey says the Dons must grasp their chance to move closer to safety in their upcoming SWPL 1 games.
The ninth-placed Reds host 11th-placed Hamilton Accies on Sunday at Balmoral Stadium, with Accies only two points below them.
They then face a midweek trip to Dundee United, who sit in tenth, but level on 18 points with the Dons, on Wednesday.
A win this weekend could see Aberdeen move five points clear of Accies in the relegation play-off spot, however, a defeat could result in the Dons dropping into the danger zone.
Aberdeen beat Hamilton Accies 2-0 when the sides met back in January, but were defeated 3-1 in the reverse fixture on the opening day of the season.
Levey said: “It’s a really good chance to have a good week and to accelerate ourselves up the league a bit more to where we want to be. The players knows what is required now.
“The home advantage is good, we’ve played well at home, so hopefully we can go there and do our job at the weekend and move on to the next step.
“Dundee United play Glasgow Women, who are fighting to beat the drop, this weekend and United will be expecting to get those three points.
“That result can change things, but we’ve got to take care of our result and then move on to the next one.
“The team spirit was remained high which is really important – it’s something that keeps you going. The team want to train and work hard.
“Regardless of where we finish now, it’s not where we would’ve wanted to be back at the start of the season.”
Levey wants fans to see improved Aberdeen performances
Although Aberdeen’s priority is to create a cushion between themselves and the relegation play-off spot, Levey hopes they can do it with good performances.
He believes, since coming in as interim manager in November, there have been considerable improvements in the Dons’ showings and hopes to see them improve further.
Levey said: “It’s about progressing each performance game upon game, and I do honestly believe the progress that we’ve made week in and week out is now evident for people to see.
“I really believe between now and the end of the season we’re really going to see things click more and more.”
It is a rare 1pm kick-off for Aberdeen this Sunday against Hamilton, and Levey hopes fans will turn out in their numbers to support the team.
He added: “The game is growing quick and our women’s team has to be visible. It shouldn’t just be the games at Pittodrie, but it should be the games at Cove as well.
“It’s about changing perception. There are a lot of comparisons between the men and women’s game – it’s still football and the same rules – but we’ve got to accept that the women’s game is (still) growing.
“I’ve been fortunate to work in professional football my entire working life and I’ve seen women’s football grow massively in that time. It’s the biggest and best it’s ever been.
“We want to people to get involved now and be part of this journey and, when they see how hard this team works, they’ll see it’s something to really be admired.
“It’s only going to grow and get better. We want young girls to be inspired by what our team does at the weekend and aim to become part of it in years to come.”
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