IAIN VIGURS is happy for Aberdeen to take the spotlight in the SPFL Premiership run-in .

. . because he believes Motherwell can sneak past them and capture second place.

The midfielder, who grew up in the Granite City and was on Aberdeen's books as a kid, knows better than most the buzz that has spread throughout the north-east as the focus has fallen on Derek McInnes' efforts to revive the Scottish game's sleeping giant.

But all that means nothing to the Fir Park players, who edged their side into second place with a 2-1 victory over Inverness Caley Thistle on Tuesday night, only to be relegated to third spot on goal average after the Dons drew 1-1 with Hearts last night.

Vigurs, who scored the winner against Caley, said: "Aberdeen have been getting all the attention and rightly so - they've won the League Cup and are having a great season. We're happy for everybody to be talking about them and we will just quietly go about our business and keep picking up the points.

"I'm from Aberdeen and it's good to be in competition with them. It's exciting for both teams and for me personally. We are at that stage of the season when it's good to be fighting for something. Tuesday was about determination and character. It suits us going under the radar."

Caley's Gary Warren admits Europe may be a bridge too far now for the Inverness club, who have won just one of their last seven league games. It is a sequence that has also brought a League Cup final defeat and a Scottish Cup quarter-final exit.

Warren said: "We were close but not really that close against Motherwell, to be honest. We started brightly and then conceded two sloppy goals. It was a game we had to win and maybe we were pushing for the three points a little too hard as a draw wasn't any good and we got caught on the counter-attack.

"Europe is difficult now, but we've got six games left and we'll keep fighting until they are finished. We've still got a chance. Every game is a must-win, starting on Friday [against Ross County], and we have to hope other teams slip up.

"Recent results have been frustrating, but it's always frustrating when you don't win. We'll click sooner or later."