Craig Brown, Stephen Hughes and Scott Vernon on RedTV

Clydesdale Bank SPL | Aberdeen v Hearts | Pittodrie Stadium | 3.00pm KO | Saturday 30th March 2013

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Craig Brown |

“The response from the players has been excellent this week in training. They’re frustrated because they’ve had a week without a game but everything from a training point of view has been first class. We’re lucky that Ryan Jack, who got an injury in the Under 21 game earlier this week, has come back and was training this morning so he looks like he will be fit. Clark Robertson who was ruled out for the game at Celtic Park will also hopefully be fit so that’s encouraging. We’re still without the long term injured boys, Considine, Clark, Osbourne, Naysmith, but we’ve resigned ourselves to the fact that the last two games will have to be undertaken without them.

“Our last three weekend fixtures have been very good for Aberdeen. We played exceptionally well at Kilmarnock, we played well against Motherwell here and for 80 minutes played well against Celtic. In between we had a hiccup against Ross County but looking at performances have been very, very good, I think we deserved to get more from all three games so everything is positive. The lads are in good heart and so are we.

“I think Hearts will be smarting after their unfortunate defeat in the Cup Final. Looking at the game I think they could have done better, they didn’t get any breaks early on. They’ve got some good young players and a good striker on loan from down South so I genuinely believe this could be as good a game as there is to see in the SPL.

“I am very, very impressed with Gary Locke, always have been. He’s a Hearts man through and through and everyone says how efficient he is and I know his former mentor Jim Jeffries feels strongly about him. Gary will be wanting to show his prowess against up but we are desperately keen to win this match to try to give ourselves a chance of the top six. We want to keep the pot boiling when we go to Tannadice the following week.”

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Stephen Hughes |

“It would be really good if we could win the game on Saturday and then go into the Dundee United game knowing that we could still get into the top six. That is what the plan is. It would be great for Craig and Archie if we could get the results we need. I will always be grateful to them as they brought me up here.

“If you needed anything to help you sum up our season, you only have to look at the last two games we’ve played. We’ve come up against the two top teams in the country, we have done well against them and should have had six points and instead, we’ve come away with just one. There is a very fine line between winning games and not winning them and we have been the wrong side of that line. I am not making excuses but things just haven’t gone for us, whether that is because you make your own luck I just don’t know.

“Hearts need a win as well. It is always a tough game against them.”

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Russell Anderson

“We are going into the final games with Craig and Archie in charge now too after the manager announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season. It’s good that Craig will still have a role on the board here at Pittodrie because he has such vast experience of the game, especially in this country, and it is important that that knowledge isn’t loss to us or to football in general.

“I can only speak about the last 18 months since I came back, but during that time, I have only got good things to say about the two of them. They were great to me when it came to coming back here to get fit initially and since then, the amount of hard work and effort that they have put into the club has been second to none.

“The sad thing is that results have not gone our way but I can assure you, it isn’t for the want of trying because both of them have put everything into training, into preparation ad into match days. I think we’ve played some good football over that period too, but unfortunately, the results have not reflected that often enough. Hopefully, we can give them the right kind of send off in these last two games of the season by getting the points and playing in the right, positive manner.”

Scott Vernon

“Craig and Archie have been brilliant for the club. They are two good guys that we want to do well for. We have been trying to do well for them but the results have not proven that. There never has been a lack of effort from any of the players. We want to try and take it to the last game. if we can do that it will be an exciting end to pre-split fixtures.

“The Aberdeen v Hearts fixture has not been the best one in recent years when you look back at the results. They have been slightly better at home than away. We have got to be positive though and get the three points and then hope results go our way so a win at Tannadice would still get us into the top six. We will be doing everything to try and get a win to set up the Dundee United game which will be something like a cup final. It is always a great fixture because of the atmosphere down there that our fans create. But we must just get through the Hearts fixture first though with a win. They are always good games.

“I would have liked to have scored more goals this season but that is the way it goes. I just have to keep believing in myself. The goal at Celtic Park did me the world of good to take into the game on Saturday.”

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Aberdeen v Hearts | the stats

SPL 1999-2009	P	W	D	L	F	A
Pittodrie	26	7	9	10	24	27
Tynecastle	25	4	4	17	13	44
Total	51	11	13	27	37	71

Overal 1905-2009
Pittodrie	125	55	29	41	192	146
Tynecastle	124	27	37	60	133	206
Total	249	82	66	101	325	352

Hearts Preview | Scott Vernon On Redtv