Derek McInnes: No fear for final stretch

Aberdeen manager, Derek McInnes. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The Dons boss watched in horror last year as his exhausted side stumbled through the last 10 games of the season before throwing second spot away in the final seconds of the campaign.

Motherwell’s Craig Reid left Pittodrie stunned when his last-gasp winner on the final day allowed the Steelmen to leapfrog the Reds.

McInnes is still sore about that goal after claiming keeper Jamie Langfield had been fouled in the build-up.

But the Granite City boss insists this year’s side are made of tougher stuff.

They lead third-placed Inverness by 11 points following Wednesday’s 1-0 win over the Highlanders and look certain to claim their highest league finish since 1994.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to Kilmarnock, McInnes told RedTV: “We don’t have any trepidation about the remainder of the season.

“Our form in the last 10 games of last season season didn’t replicate what it had been earlier in the campaign.

“We only got three wins and a few draws out of the last 10 games.

“That impacted on us and meant that we went into the last game of the season in a position where we lost out on second place because of a poor refereeing decision. That is fact.

“But our form wasn’t convincing in that last 10 games.

“We are well aware of the need to finish this season strongly and that’s what we are trying to do.

“Personally, I felt I stuck by the players who had had a hard season because I had the trust in them to keep getting results.

“But I feel I’ve got the luxury of being able to chop and change and freshen things up now. I will continue to do that between now and the end of the season.”