Peter Leven was thrilled with a second win in successive games for the Dons as they extended the gap over Ross County to six points with a 2-1 win at Pittodrie.

“I was delighted with the result, but the performance at times could have been better. I thought we started well in the first half, then County came into it a bit. Our distances weren’t right, there were a few misplaced passes. County got back into it and at times, we looked a bit nervous. We were trying the hard pass when the simple pass was on.

“But I just told them at half-time, that’s not us and we showed a better performance in the second half. I always knew we had the players on the pitch to get that next goal.

“I thought the subs were brilliant. When Duk’s like that, he’s a handful for anybody. He’s got power and pace. I wanted him to get at the full-back. Just help Jack when he needed to, but when it’s 1v1, go and get at him. Be positive, be direct, get in the box and work hard for the team. He was great for the second goal, and Dante came on and did his share too.

“I thought the fans were great, singing throughout. I asked them before the game to get behind us, and they did. Obviously, at times, they voiced their opinion, which is fair enough. But the character of the boys was brilliant. They’re focused and they just need to believe in what we’re doing and trust the process.”