Dons are targeting Euro spot in SPL

Midfielder McDonald has Euro vision for Reds

By Andy Groundwater

Published:

MY BALL: Gary McDonald challenges Manuel Pascali during Aberdeen’s CIS Cup defeat to Kilmarnock.

FORGET Andrew Lloyd Webber’s bid to find a Eurovision star on the telly – the real race for Euro glory is right here in the SPL.

While Lord Lloyd Webber searches for a Eurovision entrant on Your Country Needs You, Dundee United, Hearts, Aberdeen, and even Kilmarnock, are all dreaming of a Europa League spot by the time the curtain falls on another engrossing Scottish Premier League season.

United are in No.1 spot just now, but their three rivals will be determined not to let them enjoy a runaway success.

And 26-year-old McDonald knows how important this month can be for the Reds.

He said: “It’s big month for us. We have a lot of big games coming up.

“We have the Old Firm back-to-back after the Kilmarnock game, so it’s important we pick up points in these games and keep ourselves in a position in the league where we can kick on.”

With 17 games left for everyone except Aberdeen and Killie – who face each other tonight – the chasing pack know they are entering a crucial point in the season where their fate can be determined.

But it’s the next month or so which is most crucial to Jimmy Calderwood’s men.

The Old Firm both come calling to Pittodrie within six days of each other, while the Dons face a tricky trip to Falkirk at the end of January.

McDonald, who will start tonight’s match at Rugby Park, knows his side must hit the high notes and pick up as many points as possible ahead of the SPL double-header with Hearts and Dundee United next month.

“We are in a good position, and hopefully, we can catch the teams above us and it’s important we stay up there,” he said.

“We will go above Hearts into fourth if we beat Kilmarnock tonight so the incentive is there for us.

“We will be tucked right in behind Dundee United if we pick up three points, so we are going there looking for victory.

“It will be a tough game as we found out earlier in the season in the CIS Cup game when they beat us 4-2.

“It’s a game we are more than capable of winning, though, that’s for sure.”

That League Cup game cost the Dons a chance of silverware on one front, but despite the resounding defeat, McDonald insists that game will not even be considered ahead of tonight’s encounter.

“The CIS Cup game doesn’t come into our thinking at all. It’s water under the bridge now,” said the former Killie midfielder.

“They have been through a bad patch recently, but I think they are starting to come through it now and getting results, so we know it will be a difficult game.

“They drew 2-2 with Ayr in the Scottish Cup at the weekend, but that was always going to be difficult for Killie, and they’ll just be happy to still be in the cup.”

While Jim Jefferies’ men were drawing with their neighbours, Aberdeen were busy seeing off Alloa Athletic to book their place in the fifth round of the cup.

Defeat at Hamilton in the SPL last week brought a first loss since November, and McDonald hopes the cup win can provide a springboard for them to recapture the form which catapulted them back into the European race.

He said: “We were on a good run before that, but we got the result against Alloa and we can kick-on from that and go to Kilmarnock full of confidence.

And for McDonald, it’s a case of Your Team Needs You if the Dons are to make Europe.