RUSSELL ANDERSON, the Aberdeen captain, believes the club is capable of competing seriously on three fronts this season:
in the SPFL Premiership, the Scottish Communities League Cup and the William Hill Scottish Cup.
His side are second in the league, have made it through to the semi-finals of the League Cup and were yesterday drawn away to top flight Partick Thistle in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup. Despite not finishing in the top half of the table since 2008 or reaching a cup final since 2000 Aberdeen are currently buoyant after a very strong start to the season. The 35-year-old believes manager Derek McInnes had built a squad which was good enough for that to continue.
"I don't see why not," he said. "I think if you are looking at the amount of games we might have to play it is not a ridiculous amount: when you are winning and playing as well as we are then the next game cannot come quickly enough. There is no reason why we can't try to do well in all the competitions we have entered this season.
"I think the manager is just reinforcing the need to keep doing what we are doing, because that is the reason we are getting the results and the performances. He realises that if we slacken off in any way we are not good enough just to turn up and expect to win games. Everything is going well and the supporters and players are enjoying it."
Aberdeen have already put seven unanswered goals past Partick Thistle in two league games, including a 4-0 win at Pittodrie on Monday night, but Anderson remained respectful ahead of the cup tie coming up on the weekend of November 30/31. "I think we would be naive to think we will get it as easy as that back down there," he said. "The quality of the goals on Monday will be fresh in our minds and obviously fresh in theirs, but we know we will be up against it, and as we have found to our cost a couple of times this season if everyone does not put in a performance then we can fall short. We won't be taking anyone for granted."
Niall McGinn's two goals on Monday, the first a remarkable 23-yard free-kick, were the highlights of an impressive performance by Aberdeen, who are eager to retain their momentum for the visit of Hearts on Saturday. But McGinn was quicker to praise the influence of Willo Flood in midfield.
"Willo has been tremendous and he's been a big factor for us," he said. "He's a tenacious little character. He always wants on the ball, he breaks-up opposition moves and he's always on people's backs. It's important to have someone like that in the team. It keeps the rest of us on our toes and we feed off players like that."
"We'll keep our feet on the ground," he added. "We've started the season well and we're on a run and we have consistency in the team which we didn't have last season."
"Once we go in front we are very comfortable. We keep the ball and [Derek McInnes] the new manager has been great. He and Tony Docherty [the assistant manager] are very positive."
To say that Scott Fox, the Partick Thistle goalkeeper who was beaten four times on Monday, had an eventful day would be something of an understatement. Called into Gordon Strachan's Scotland squad for the forthcoming international games against the USA and Norway, he then had a night to forget at Pittodrie.
"I learned about the Scotland call-up at about quarter past twelve on Monday," he said. "I couldn't put into words how I felt. It took me by surprise. [Thistle] have brought the best out of me and now I have this opportunity and I intend to enjoy it."
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