Aberdeen goalkeeper Ross Doohan is hoping his side can finally end the slump in form with a big victory against Elgin City in the Scottish Cup.

The Dons are winless in 12 after their latest defeat at Ibrox and Jimmy Thelin will be eager to see that run come to an end at Borough Briggs on Saturday.

But despite the 3-0 scoreline, there was a lot to admire about Doohan's performance, with his saves keeping Aberdeen in contention until the late strikes from Leon Balogun and Cyriel Dessers.

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"I’m pleased to have made some saves in the last few games but it doesn’t mean much when we’re not getting the results," he said. "I’d rather have nothing to do and win the game, than make twenty saves and lose the game.

"It’s disappointing to come here and get nothing from the game, but we just need to move on from it and focus on the next game.

"We need to stay positive and keep the team spirit high, which we’ve been doing, and we need to focus on a massive cup game on Saturday."

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Aberdeen kept the score within reach at 1-0 for the majority of the game in Glasgow, but were noticeably struggling to create any clear cut chances against their rivals.

However, as the team pressed for an equaliser in the final minutes, Rangers capitalised with two quickfire goals, putting the game out of reach.

"The team hung in there until the last few minutes which shows the spirit in the side," Doohan added. "As long as the game is 1-0, there’s a chance to get back into it, but when we were pushing for an equaliser at the end, we lost two more goals unfortunately."

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Despite the recent struggles, Doohan is optimistic that he and his teammates can turn the season around, as he looks to ensure a safe passage into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup this weekend.

He said: "Everyone’s staying positive and sticking together, that’s the main thing, we fully believe in ourselves and what we want to do. Hopefully, Saturday’s game can push us on again.

"We started very well this season and it’s been a tough run lately, but as I said, we have to just stay positive, keep the spirit high and look forward to the game at Elgin and relish the challenges ahead.

"Obviously, we want to be doing better, but we just need to keep working on the training pitch and turn this thing around. One game can be the turning point of the season and push us on again, so hopefully that’s on Saturday."