Dons boss sets players a target in race for SPL’s coveted third spot
By Charlie Allan
Published: 12/02/2009
ABERDEEN FC players have been set a 63-point target to win the race to qualify for Europe.
The Dons will need to win nine of their remaining 14 games to be guaranteed of reaching the magic mark that manager Jimmy Calderwood is convinced would be their passport into next season’s Europa League.
But he has challenged his men to go for it if they want to beat Dundee United and Hearts in the fight to claim third spot and guarantee another crack at European glory.
Aberdeen FC boss Calderwood said: “If we all keep on dropping points the final target might drop a wee bit.
“But at the moment I reckon if we hit the 63-point mark it would be enough to guarantee third place and a return to Europe.
“We got 65 points the last time we finished third, so we know we can achieve our target.
“I’ve always said if you gather 15 points in each section of 11 games you are guaranteed to make the top six.
“But if you get 20 points every 11 games then you will be in Europe.
“We gained 22 points over the last group of 11, which was a massive boost as we fight to get to where we want to be.
“The pressure is growing now and the games will get harder.
“But there is a big incentive because third place would mean avoiding having to play Europa League qualifying games in early July.
“That would wreck our whole summer and mean the players only getting about two weeks off, so we have to set our sights as high as possible.â€
The Dons are currently a point behind United and Hearts, who they now face back to back in the league.
Calderwood would love to beat both to put the Dons in with a better chance of being in pole position when the SPL splits in the middle of April.
He said: “It would be a bit much to expect the players to clinch third spot before the split, although it is mathematically possible.
“The more sensible target is to attempt to win nine of the 14 league games we have left.
“If we get the bulk of those wins before the split, then even better.
“But if we are in third spot after the next nine, I’m convinced we will take a bit of stopping.â€
Calderwood accepts Saturday’s trip to Tynecastle is a tough way to continue their quest to finish third for the second time in three seasons.
But he says his men are heading for Edinburgh with their confidence high.
“We’ve not lost to Hearts this season, so we have good reason for believing we will do well down there,†he said.
“We were also unfortunate not to win both clashes with United, we were done in by daft defensive mistakes.
“They are massive games but we know how valuable two victories would be.
“We are desperate to grab the initiative in the race for the European places.â€
Seems fairly accurate, can we do it?
Remaining Fixtures:
Hearts (a)
United (h)
Killie (h)
St Mirren (a)
Hamilton (h)
Hibs (a)
Motherwell (a)
ICT (h)
Celtic (a)
Top 6 Games:
? Celtic, Hearts, (h)
? Rangers, United (a)
+ 1 other