DON Cowie believes Aberdeen’s emergence as the second force in Scottish football has been achieved by attaining the perfect blend of quality and continuity, and he sees today’s visitors to Tynecastle as the yardstick for misfiring Hearts.

While many tipped Rangers to Celtic’s nearest challengers on their return to the top flight this term, Derek McInnes’ men had other ideas, streaking ahead of the Ibrox side in the league and reaching the finals of the League Cup and Scottish Cup.

Aberdeen’s consistency has been achieved largely with a squad made up of players from the UK, many of whom have been at Pittodrie for several years – and all of whom play in a well-organised and clear structure.

That has been notably missing at Hearts, who were forced to change their manager in December, brought in nine players from seven different nations in January, and have toiled for results of late. As a consequence, their Europa League hopes are hanging by a thread.

Cowie said: “Aberdeen have had a terrific season and been so consistent. They are really strong and are the team everybody else looks at. Celtic are obviously way beyond that, but Aberdeen are the realistic benchmark for the rest of us. They have been really steady and have been together for a number of years now. That is what the rest of us are striving for.

“The team doesn’t change much and they have an identity and system. They all know what their jobs are and it’s not rocket science that that is the reason they have done so well.”

However, Cowie has faith in Ian Cathro and believes the Hearts squad will benefit from the trial and tribulations of this season. “There has been a lot of talk about things not going well under the new manager, but I believe that if he gets the time, it could be really exciting at this club,” Cowie said.

While Cowie is looking to the future, Cathro is focusing on today and is prepared for a poignant occasion in the final match in front of Tynecastle’s 103-year-old main stand before it is razed to the ground.

From listening to John Robertson’s tales of thundering timber to reading up on the electric nights against the likes of Bayern, Bologna and Red Star Belgrade, Cathro cannot be accused of ignoring the club’s past as he seeks to build the future.

“I spent a bit of time in the museum with some of the guys who work there, who I think are voluntary, just asking them questions,” he said. “Their knowledge was unbelievable and I ended up in there for around 45 minutes talking about old games and different moments – big European nights and all those things.

“I remember Robbo [Robertson] telling me he couldn’t get the noise of the timber being banged out of his head at times. It’s clear there have been amazing nights that will stay with people for their whole lives.”

As the bulldozers move in, Cathro will be charged with constructing a team on the pitch – and he believes the show of ambition for the club can only aid his efforts.

“The club wants to grow to a level where it can have big nights and European football – and there are certain things that stadia need to have in order to realistically call that an ambition,” he said. “Without a doubt, it will be an attractive prospect for players to come here.”