Early dominance is vital, says McInnes

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes hopes his players can avoid a repeat of their last visit to Edinburgh when they make their third trip of the season to Tynecastle tomorrow.

The Dons won one and lost the other of their previous two visits, with the 1-0 Scottish Cup loss in January ending the Reds’ interest in the competition.

But, having won 3-1 in the league in September, McInnes wants his players to show their title credentials in Edinburgh tomorrow as they try to cut Celtic’s lead at the top of the table to two points.

He said: “If you compare the league game to the Scottish Cup match then we got a brilliant start in the Premiership one.

“We were clinical when it came to taking chances. We went in and rattled Hearts in that one.

“The difference in the cup tie was that we were the luckiest team alive to go in just 1-0 down at half-time. They imposed themselves on us, we lost a poor goal from a set-play and, while we were much more like ourselves in the second half, Hearts had something to hold on to.

“There’s no doubt we suffered because of our start, so it is important we are the ones who impose themselves from the off in this game.”

McInnes watched most of the Jambos’ 3-1 loss at Celtic last weekend and believes the result does not give a true reflection of Robbie Neilson’s side.

Aberdeen will be without midfielder Barry Robson due to suspension, while attacking duo Adam Rooney and Peter Pawlett remain sidelined.

Robson will be free from suspension for the first game after the split, and the Dons manager hopes leading scorer Rooney will also be available as he is making good progress as he recovers from a thigh strain.

Derek McInnes: looking for a fast start: .