Despite being rocked by an injury crisis, Dons boss Derek McInnes accepts Aberdeen should still be strong enough to deliver Premiership victories.
The Reds had eight first-team players ruled out by injury and suspension for the 1-1 draw with St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.
Already this season they trail Premiership leaders Hearts by nine points, after just five games.
The Dons have registered just one win in league action and are placed a lowly eighth in the table.
Aberdeen’s injury toll is to reduce slightly for Saturday’s clash against Motherwell but there will still be a host of players out.
McInnes insists, regardless of the absentees, he has a squad that should still deliver a result.
He said: “When we get one or two players back, we then seem to lose two or three.
“It has been unusual for us and having so many injuries at the one time is not something we would normally have to contend with. But it is our turn at the minute and we just need to try to overcome it.
“We still have a team that is able to deliver performances and get results. Hopefully we can do exactly that. However, in terms of being able to get a consistency of selection, it has been very challenging for that.
“It is our turn with injuries at the minute and every team will have to contend with that at some stage in the season.
“The season hasn’t really settled down for us and it is still very early on but we want to get some consistency of performance and results. The injuries are frustrating but it is part of football and hopefully that side of it settles down.”
Out injured for the St Johnstone game were James Wilson (hamstring), Lewis Ferguson (knee), Mark Reynolds (knee), Tommie Hoban (shoulder), Scott Wright (ankle), Frank Ross (back) and Greg Tansey (groin).
On-loan Watford defender Tommie Hoban is to undergo shoulder surgery and is expected to be ruled out for between two to three months.
Centre-back Mikey Devlin was also suspended, after a bid to have a red card in the 2-0 loss to Kilmarnock overruled was rejected by the SFA fast track appeals panel.
Devlin will return for Saturday’s game against Motherwell.
McInnes is hopeful on-loan Manchester United striker Wilson can recover from a tight hamstring in time for the weekend.
The 24-year-old has featured just once, as a second-half substitute in the 1-1 draw at Hibs, since signing a season-long loan deal from the Old Trafford club on August 13.
Scotland Under-21 international midfielder Ferguson is doubtful for the weekend, having suffered fluid on a knee after a collision in training.
“We are going to get stronger and better as we go along,” said McInnes.
“We will be stronger at the weekend, in terms of the squad.
“Devlin will be back and we will hopefully have Wilson back as well.
“Ferguson banged a knee in training in a collision which was pretty innocuous but he had a bit of fluid still in it. He is a doubt (for Motherwell) but hopefully it is just the one game that he misses.”
Regardless of the ongoing injury problems, the starting 11 at McDiarmid Park should still have been good enough to get a victory against St Johnstone. Every starting player could make an argument for being a first-team regular.
The only fresh face in the Dons side was midfielder Chris Forrester, making his competitive starting debut.
Forrester was one of the biggest signings of the summer, arriving in a £200,000 transfer from Peterborough United.
Ultimately, it was the lack of experience on the substitutes’ bench that was the issue, although among the subs was rising striker Bruce Anderson, who offers a goal threat.
Amid the ongoing injury concerns there was one shard of light as Scotland international Scott McKenna, 21, returned to action following a six-week absence due to a hamstring tear. McKenna, who was the subject of rejected bids from Celtic (£3.5 million) and Aston Villa (£7m) while sidelined, went straight back into the Aberdeen starting line-up.
“Although we had eight players unavailable for St Johnstone, the positive news was Scott McKenna coming back,” said McInnes.
“Scott needed the game time and got better and stronger as the game went on, to have more influence.
“It is difficult being out for so long but credit to Scott.
“He is a massive player for us and took responsibility against St Johnstone. It is great to have him back.”