Is there a flip-chart in the Pittodrie home dressing room on which is written "thou shalt not be lured by journalists into making outrageous claims"?

We should not be surprised if such a commandment and others along "tell them nothing" lines are de rigueur for those who wear the red jerseys, warned not to stray off message.

We can be sure, too, that talk of actually challenging Celtic for the title is never to be on the agenda, even in light of Dundee United's victory at Tannadice yesterday and thoughts that Ronny Deila's side are not invincible.

It's understandable that Derek McInnes, the manager, does not wish egg on faces as he keeps a lid on the expectation that his hugely impressive side will, indeed, end the season as runners-up to Celtic.

Scott Brown, a largely redundant goalkeeper as Kilmarnock failed to penetrate an unshakeable defence, kept his seventh clean sheet in nine starts and admitted that such quiet times require greater concentration.

In front of him were not only defenders who were tightly organised, but playmakers of quality - Ryan Jack and Jonny Hayes - the latter pestering the life out of the Ayrshire outfit and once more proving a stand-out for Aberdeen.

It was Hayes's strike midway through the second half that took a little deflection to confuse Craig Samson, the Kilmarnock goalkeeper, and his failure to hold the shot allowed Peter Pawlett to pounce on the loose ball to fire-in the only goal. It was their eighth game without victory in a run that's brought just one point from a possible 21, heaping pressure on Allan Johnston, their manager, though, as Samson insisted, there is no unrest within the Rugby Park dressing room.

"We are getting none of the breaks of the ball that we feel we maybe deserve for the effort we are putting into games," he said.

"Of course you make your own luck in football but the boys did well in the game, put in a lot of effort and worked hard. There's no question of discontent between the team and the manager.

"We are just not winning enough and there are games when we certainly haven't performed well enough.

"We know that as a team and the manager has told us that in no uncertain terms at times.

"What he does know is that we gave him everything we could against Aberdeen."

Perhaps; but there was not the energy and alertness nor drive displayed by the home side who, while not at their best, would have been harshly penalised had they not taken the points.

It took Johnston to mention the unmentionable; that McInnes's men will finish the season as Premiership runners-up, though inviting someone from within the Pittodrie playing staff to agree solicits a sharp intake of breath and a reference to the "one game at a time" mantra, uttered by Brown on several occasions in post-match interviews as he highlighted the good work carried-out by colleagues.

"The lads defended really well in front of me," he said. "I didn't really have a lot to do. A 1-0 and a clean sheet; you'd take that every time but we could have perhaps won by a couple more goals.

"Everybody's working so hard as individuals to keep a clean sheet and it's not just the goalkeeper and the back four, its a real team effort."

Brown agreed that with much of the play taking place quite a distance away he has to ensure his focus doesn't drift, a lethal impediment for a goalkeeper.

"I've had to improve my concentration," said the former Cheltenham Town player, "what with being quiet for much of the time during some games. I've had to work on that because in England in Leagues 1 and 2 the ball is chucked in your box every five minutes so you're having a decision to make more often.

"Here it's about keeping your concentration and doing your job when you're called upon. Your mind can wander but you've got to remember that's it's a 94, 95-minute game and not switch off."