Source: Team_Talk
Defiant Dons boss eyes third place
The catalyst for the demonstration was last month's surprise exit from the Homecoming Scottish Cup at the hands of Dunfermline.[LNB]Calderwood will be hoping to silence his critics with a convincing win over Caley Thistle.[LNB]And if results go their way elsewhere, Aberdeen could find themselves only four points behind third-placed Hearts on Saturday night.[LNB]Calderwood said: "The games are running out but our aim remains to get into third position.[LNB]"We are seven points behind Hearts, but if we can win a very difficult game on Saturday and Hearts slip up against Celtic then the gap would be down to four points.[LNB]"That would guarantee our place in the top six and Hearts would still have to come to Pittodrie. If Hearts drop points at the weekend then they may start to get a wee bit nervous as well."[LNB]The Dons have drawn five of their last six matches in the SPL and Calderwood admits his players need to return to winning ways quickly if they are to turn their dream finish into a reality.[LNB]"'Frustration' is probably the word to sum up the whole season," he said.[LNB]"We haven't lost that many games but more wins would have taken us a lot nearer Hearts.[LNB]"The players have proven they can do it and we see their quality every day in training. It is just about getting that level of consistency."[LNB]Inverness recorded their first ever win at Pittodrie on their last trip to the Granite City, on the opening day of the season.[LNB]The Dons gained revenge in December with a comprehensive 3-0 win as Craig Brewster's time at the Caledonian Stadium entered its final chapter.[LNB]Calderwood expects current Inverness boss Terry Butcher to have his charges fired up for the match.[LNB]"Inverness will be coming here without any fear, particularly after getting that victory the last time which had eluded them for so long," he said.[LNB]"But we proved ourselves against them just before Christmas with one of our best performances of the season when we won 3-0 and it could easily have been five.[LNB]"Terry has done brilliantly since he joined them and that is no surprise because he has been a winner for all of his career.[LNB]"It is a strange phenomenon that when a new manager comes in, players seem to become better all of a sudden.[LNB]"But he has also brought a couple of good players in such as Brian Kerr and Richie Foran. They looked as though they were heading down but they went on a great run and we are expecting a very difficult game."[LNB]Darren Mackie and Tommy Wright are both available for the Dons after missing last weekend's 1-1 draw with Motherwell.[LNB]However both players are likely to start on the bench, with in-form striker Chris Maguire getting the nod to partner Lee Miller in attack.[LNB]Calderwood added: "Chris scored a wonderful goal for us last week. His confidence is sky-high at the moment and you can see that in training.[LNB]"It is great for the lad, although we always knew he had that in him.[LNB]"He has showed it in flashes in the past but he now has to strive for that consistency to keep up that level of performance for nine or 10 games on the trot."[LNB][LNB] Aberdeen 8/11, Draw 13/5, Inverness 4/1
