Jonny Hayes aims to end Motherwell jinx as Dons target a festive foursome

The Dons beat St Johnstone 2-0 on Saturday and face a Boxing Day trip to Motherwell before taking on both Dundee teams. Aberdeen are fifth in the SPL but can go above third-placed Motherwell if they win at Fir Park.

Hayes, who has shaken off a knock that kept him out against Saints, told RedTV: “The Christmas period is crucial to the rest of the season. We were disappointed with ourselves dropping a few places down the league table and dropping points, but if we can get maximum points or near enough to it over the Christmas period then we are right back in there.”

Aberdeen have not beaten Motherwell in 11 SPL games stretching back more than four years, but have twice knocked them out of the William Hill Scottish Cup in 2012, most  recently with a 2-1 replay win earlier this month.

Motherwell have only won two home games all season and, like Aberdeen, have recorded more victories on their travels.

Hayes said: “Motherwell are one of those teams, similar to ourselves, that are probably better counter-attacking. We know they aren’t great at home and if we are better on the road this year then it looks good for us, but we still need to turn up.”

Aberdeen manager Craig Brown urged his players to take their cup form to Fir Park and avoid a repeat of last season’s follow-up to their cup triumph.

Hesaid: “Last year we beat them in the cup and then we lost 1-0 to a rather fortunate long-range shot from Stevie Hammell in the league. We would like to do the double over Motherwell, obviously. It would give us a great platform for the remaining league fixtures if we managed to pull back the three-point gap.”

Motherwell striker Bob McHugh admits he has been frustrated by his lack of first-team action as he battles to force his way into manager Stuart McCall’s plans. The 21-year-old came off the bench to net the winner against Hibernian recently and scored as a substitute in Friday’s 2-1 defeat by St Mirren.

The youngster, who is determined to keep performing well whenever he gets the chance and show that he deserves a starting role, said: “It’s definitely frustrating. I feel as though I’ve been pushing for the last couple of years. It’s been a consistent team selection, but they have been producing the goods and playing well.

“It’s been tough for me, but all I can do is keep on pushing. With the way they have been playing, I know what I need to do to get in the team. When they are playing as well as they are playing, the manager is not going to change it. I just need to keep on pushing and hope I get the break.”