Jack not dwelling on season finale
Aberdeen midfielder Ryan Jack has dismissed suggestions the Dons will be motivated by revenge when they host Motherwell on Friday night.
Motherwell snatched second place from Aberdeen in May in the most dramatic of finishes to a season when Craig Reid scrambled home a controversial injury-time winner at Pittodrie.
The home side were shell-shocked but Jack is keeping a clear head when they are reunited in Scottish Premiership duty.
When asked about their motivation, Jack said: "I would just say it's a new season and any game we go into we want to win.
"We don't go into a game thinking about revenge or anything else apart from what we want to do in the game and how we want to play. We are just looking to get three points."
Motherwell have struggled to live up to their recent league form this season and visit the Granite City in second-bottom spot.
And Jack is expecting a battle as the Lanarkshire side bid to turn around their season.
"Because they have had a disappointing start they will be fighting as hard as they can to get three points to get their season going," said the Scotland Under-21 midfielder, who made his comeback from a knee injury in last weekend's 3-0 defeat by Hamilton.
"I think we just need to watch out for them coming here and being really determined and being really up for a fight and a battle to get three points."
Dons boss Derek McInnes shared Jack's approach to putting the May loss to Motherwell behind them.
"The motivation is always to win," McInnes said. "The fact that three points are at stake is the only motivation.
"Whatever has happened in the past, whether it's highs or lows, has gone and for us it's just about trying to deal with what we can affect."
McInnes believes Motherwell will come good at some stage this season but is determined to make sure the turning point is not at Pittodrie.
"It's still early in the season but obviously they have shown a consistency over the last few years that has allowed them to be up there, and that hasn't been the case so far this season," McInnes said.
"I think their fortunes will probably change at some point but we are not too interested in that, we just want to get back to winning ways after last weekend."
Well manager Stuart McCall has urged his players to relish the prospect of victory as he bids to steer them out of a rut.
The Steelmen enjoyed one of their most memorable wins of recent years when they triumphed at Pittodrie on the final day of last season to snatch second place in the Scottish Premiership from their hosts.
But they return to the north-east second from bottom in the standings after an indifferent start to the campaign got even worse in the past few weeks with three consecutive league defeats.
McCall knows his team have to retain belief in their ability if they are to avoid getting dragged further down, and he has told them to be mentally strong on Friday night.
"The message is 'stick together and dig deep'," he said. "I've been in runs like this before and it might take an own goal or a debatable penalty decision or whatever it is just to get out of it.
"I've got great belief in those players. We've got leaders in that dressing room. We have character and great quality.
"They have shown that season after season and I think it's time we all stand up and be counted."
Source: PA
