Winger Jonny Hayes is confident there is much more to come from Aberdeen under manager Barry Robson.
Which is why the veteran viewed it as a “no brainer” to commit his future to the Dons for another season.
The 35-year-old says he immediately signed a new one year contract when it was tabled by the club and Robson.
Aberdeen host Rangers on Sunday with confidence sky high after racking up a six game winning streak.
Hayes will be at Pittodrie for another year but it has not yet been confirmed if Robson will be in the dugout next season.
Aberdeen’s hierarchy have only confirmed Robson will be manager until the end of the campaign.
However the Dons’ longest winning streak since 2015 has delivered a compelling argument for Robson to be named permanent boss.
A win against Rangers at Pittodrie on Sunday would further strengthen Robson’s case.
Hayes reckons the Reds revival under Robson is only just beginning.
Hayes: “I think this is just the beginning for himself (Robson) and the first team.
“There is a lot more to come.
“He’s got the players in a good place, they’ve bought into what he brings as a manager.
“Winning games helps but it’s an enjoyable place at the minute.
“It’s a good base for building towards the tail end of the season and next year.”
Wins lift the club, training and city
Pittodrie will be packed out for Sunday’s clash with Rangers as the Dons bid for a seventh straight victory.
Aberdeen’s recent winning steak has moved Robson’s side up to third in the Premiership.
Hayes insists the Dons cannot take their foot off the gas now.
He said: “Any time you put a few wins together it lifts the whole place – the club, the training, the city itself.
“It’s enjoyable but you’ve got to keep working hard and keep taking one game at a time.
“Enjoy football as much as you can because it’s full of ups and downs.”
Hayes, who was set to go out of contract at the end of the season, is the first player to commit to a new deal under the management of Robson.
The Republic of Ireland international signed a new contraact until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
He said: “It was a no-brainer. I’m enjoying my football, I feel physically fit and I’m contributing to the team.
“I enjoy being here.
“It was one of these where as soon as they offered me it it was done and dusted in two minutes.”
What has changed under Robson?
Robson was appointed interim boss following Goodwin’s dismissal after a 6-0 defeat at Hibs on January 28.
He has masterminded a surge from the bottom six into European qualification contention.
When asked about the difference under Robson, Hayes said: “It’s hard to pinpoint but the manager came in and he knows most of the players from his time coaching the development team.
“He knew everybody and everybody knew him.
“The players bought in to how he wants to train and play.”
‘It’s never ideal to lose your captain’
Aberdeen will be without influential captain Graeme Shinnie for the clash against Rangers.
The midfielder was hit with a four-match ban this week after the Dons appeal on Shinnie’s red card in the 1-0 defeat of Ross County was dismissed.
An extra game was added to an initial three-match ban due to the SFA deeming the appeal to be without any merit “and frivolous” under article 13.21.8 of the Judicial Panel Protocol.
Aberdeen’s request to the Scottish FA for Shinnie’s appeal to be re-heard by a freshly constituted fast track tribunal was dismissed.
If Shinnie is disheartened by the ban, Hayes insists he is not showing it on the training pitch as he helps prepare the Dons for a game he will miss through suspension.
Hayes said: “It’s never ideal to lose your captain, especially in the circumstances.
“We just have to get on with it. There’s nothing we as players can do about it.
“Graeme is a great character to have around the place.
“He’s not going to bring his own personal disappointment into the training ground, he trains as he plays.
“He’s brilliant to have around and if he’s let it affect him, I’ve not seen it.
“He knows he’s still captain, he represents the football club and he’s helping prepare the rest of the boys for the upcoming games.”
Confidence from recent ‘brilliant run’
Aberdeen came agonisingly close in December to securing a first Pittodrie win against Rangers since 2016.
Leading 2-1 in injury time the Reds imploded with the loss of two late goals to lose 3-2.
The following month they pushed the Ibrox club to extra-time in the League Cup semi-final, but were edged out 2-1.
Hayes said: “Those games are a few months ago.
“For me, it’s more about us playing a different style of football now.
“It’s more about taking confidence from the brilliant run we have been on recently without looking too far back towards December
“The boys will keep believing in what we are doing and how well we have been playing.
“Rangers are a good football team, there is no getting away from it.
“It’s a fixture that I enjoy so it’s one I can’t worry too much about Rangers.
“I am more focused on what Aberdeen bring to the game.”
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