Aberdeen boss Barry Robson has hailed his squad for rising from the Premiership bottom six to set up a potential £5 million showdown.
And Robson warned the Reds are so fired up for Saturday’s Tynecastle showdown with Hearts, he had to hold them back in training.
The Dons are in pole position to secure a third-placed finish and a potential multi-million-pound cash bonanza.
Robson’s side currently occupy third spot and are five points ahead of Hearts, who sit fourth.
Aberdeen will be confirmed as finishing third if they beat Hearts, and fifth-placed Hibs lose to Rangers, at the weekend.
Up for grabs at Tynecastle is a potential £5m jackpot when Uefa and SPFL prize payments are added up.
The team who finish third will go into the Europa League play-offs – just one two-legged tie from the group stages – if Celtic win the Scottish Cup.
The Scottish Cup winners qualify for the play-offs, but Premiership champions Celtic have already secured a Champions League spot.
If Celtic complete the treble, the Scottish Cup winner’s European slot goes to the team that finishes third in the Premiership.
Qualifying for the Europa League groups brings a £3.2m Uefa prize payment and group stage action until mid December.
Should the third placed club lose their Europa League play-off there is the back-up of dropping into the Europa Conference League groups which brings a £2.7 m prize.
Finishing third also lands a £3.5m SPFL prize payment, £1m more than the £2.5m paid out for fourth.
That means third would potentially bring £4.2m more in prize payments than fourth spot.
When gate receipts from group stage games, sponsorship and broadcast revenue are added the cash bonanza would top £5m.
Robson said: “We came in here in January and now have a £5 million game.
“We have done well.
“Let’s think about where we are at the moment, and where we were – it has been a great turnaround from the players.
“We are in quite a strong position.”
Aberdeen were in the bottom six of the Premiership and 10 points behind Hearts, who occupied third, when Robson took on the managerial role in late January.
Under Robson, the Reds have won eight of their last 10 games to take control of the race for third.
Transformation under boss Robson
Robson was placed in interim charge of Aberdeen following the sacking of Jim Goodwin on January 28.
Aberdeen were in the midst of a crash in form and had dropped them into the bottom six.
Robson subsequently engineered a resurgence, including a seven-game winning streak, to accelerate up to third in the table.
That was enough to secure the role on a permanent basis.
Robson recently penned a two-year contract to manage the Dons until at least the end of the 2024-25 season.
The Dons boss says he never contemplated over-taking Hearts in third when he took over the first team in January.
He said: “I never thought about that at that time.
“I was just trying to win games of football and luckily we have managed to do that over the past wee while.
“We have got to keep at it, keep working, making sure we perform to our best every time we are on the pitch.”
Aberdeen ‘really at it, ready to go’
He said: “I tried to hold them back in training a little on Wednesday as they were really at it, ready to go.
“That’s a good place for us to be.
“The players are really looking forward to it.
“Now we go down to Tynecastle and try to perform as we have been.
“The one thing you will have seen from this team in the last three months is the energy and the way they want to play and fight.
“Nothing changes.
“We go there and will try to give it everything we have got.”
Robson’s pre-Tynecastle message
Aberdeen are on the brink of a return to European football and can seal that with victory at Tynecastle.
There are also the financial rewards which potentially come with finishing third.
How does Robson ensure his team play the game and not the occasion?
He said: “Follow instruction, be at your best and enjoy it.
“That’s the most important thing they’ve got to do.
“They’ve been fantastic over the last three months and we’ve got to try to continue that going down there.
“It’s about having your structure, working hard, being good with the ball, being good against the ball.
“You put that in place, you give yourselves an opportunity.”
No hangover from Tynecastle defeat
Goodwin was dismissed following a disastrous run of results where a Scottish Cup exit was sandwiched between heavy league losses at Hearts and Hibs.
The axe fell immediately after a 6-0 loss at Hibs.
That humiliating loss was just a week after a 5-0 hammering at Hearts.
Aberdeen return to Tynecastle for the first time since that heavy defeat.
Robson insists that loss in January has no relevance to Saturday’s potential £5m showdown.
He said; “When was that?
“Three or four months ago?
“That’s a long, long time ago.
“The players had a brilliant performance up here (3-0 win) against Hearts so I’m sure they are thinking about that.”
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