Leighton Clarkson admits the first half of the season has been a grind for Aberdeen.
The Dons have been battling on multiple fronts, mixing domestic and European football.
That has meant trips to Sweden, Germany, Greece and Finland with all the travelling taking its toll.
Now though with the European campaign at an end, Clarkson insists it is only a matter of time before the Dons start climbing up the Premiership table.
The 22-year-old midfielder said: “Yes, the schedule has been tough but it is where Aberdeen players and fans want to be. It is something we have to get used to.
“After Christmas we will have a little break and that’s when we can really start motoring.
“The break will do us good and as a squad it is something we do need.”
Clarkson admitted all the foreign travelling was more tiring than he expected, adding: “Yes, a little bit. It is more the playing of the games and then getting flights elsewhere.
“Sometimes you have to stay over extra nights and then you don’t get the training session the next morning.
“So you do miss a lot of the training which is where the manager can look at tactics and players - all sorts of things.
“That was the frustrating part for us that we didn’t get a lot of time on the training pitch like other teams do, then you are preparing one day before the next game.
“It is tough but as I said, it is where we want to be.”
As well as a break, January also brings another transfer window.
Prolific Dons striker Bojan Miovski has already been the subject of intense transfer speculation but Clarkson insists he hopes nothing concrete comes of it.
The former Liverpool player said: “He has pulled us out of a lot of games this year and he is a top quality striker.
“I would love him to stay and I know the rest of the team and the fans do as well.
“He has 14 goals so far this season which is very good and we have not been playing at our best as well.
“He scores lots and I have a good connection on the pitch in terms of his movement.
“So he has done really well and we just want him to keep improving.”
Clarkson and his team-mates were due to play Dundee at Dens on Saturday but the game was called off less than an hour before kick-off with referee David Munro deciding the pitch was waterlogged.
Clarkson was disappointed with the decision but his main thoughts were with the 3,500 Dons fans who had a wasted journey down from the Granite City.
The playmaker added: “We had looked at the pitch and we thought we could have played on it but the officials called it off.
“The bounce of the ball in the two boxes, it was just dropping dead.
“We are gutted but we have to move on.
“The fans spend good money to follow us. We wanted to come down here and win, to put a bit of a statement out there and give back to them. But it was not meant to be.
“I would rather have played it, to be honest.
“We felt that after the Livingston win we could go on a bit of a run so it is just disappointing that we couldn’t play.
“Both teams wanted to play the game but it is down to the officials and there is nothing we can do about that.
“We wanted to come down here and win to build a bit of momentum.”
Aberdeen have the opportunity to do just that when they return to Premiership action against Motherwell at Pittodrie tomorrow night with Clarkson determined the eighth-placed Dons will start climbing the table.
He stated: “It is another home game and it is one we are looking to get all three points from so we will start preparing for that.
“It is not where we want to be in the table but in this league if you get three, four wins on the bounce it can shoot you right up there.”
