Team news

Hughes targets top half for Dons Stephen Hughes has set his sights on a top-six finish after completing his move to Aberdeen.

The former Rangers midfielder, 29, has joined as a free agent after leaving Motherwell earlier this month, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal at Pittodrie.

Hughes will go straight into the squad for Saturday's match against Dunfermline, boosting a squad still without midfielders Rob Milsom, Isaac Osbourne and Peter Pawlett due to injury.

And he will be going in search of the points the Dons need to climb into the top six.

"That's the aim," Hughes said. "That should always be the aim. We want to finish as high up the table as well and make the top six.

"It will be difficult because there's a lot of teams doing well, but there's been a lot of good results here lately, a good result at Ibrox, and if we can get on a good run, hopefully we can kick on in the second half of the season." Aberdeen sit eighth in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League table after a 1-1 draw with Rangers last week, one of four clubs within two points of sixth-placed Dundee United as a tough battle to make the top half gets under way.

It makes for a different challenge to the one Hughes faced earlier this season with a Motherwell side sitting in third place, but Hughes still believes he has joined one of the SPL's biggest clubs.

"When I was at Motherwell and Rangers, coming up here it was always a difficult place to come, a big club and a lot of teams raise their game when they come here," he said.

"That shows you it's a big club and that's where you want to be. You want to have that expectation level every year to get into the top six and get into Europe." Although Hughes has not played since a January 2 appearance against Rangers, he has declared himself ready to go if called on by Craig Brown.

"I'm available to play, but the boys had a good result last week so I don't know what (the manager is) going to do," he said.

Hughes was one of two players to sign on for Aberdeen on Friday, with the club also announcing a new deal for youth captain Craig Storie. The 16-year-old Scotland Under-16 captain was reportedly also interesting Manchester United.

Dunfermline midfielder Mark Kerr is unsure of the reception he will receive at Aberdeen following two years at the club.

The 29-year-old returns to the Granite City for the first time with the Pars and is hoping to help his new employers climb off the Scottish Premier League basement.

During his maiden campaign with the Dons, the former Dundee United and Falkirk player led them into Europe with a fourth-place finish in 2009.

Things did not go to plan the following season as he took on the captaincy, with the team knocked out of the Europa League at the first hurdle in a crushing two-legged loss to Czech side Sigma Olomouc.

Regardless of the response at Pittodrie, Kerr's only concern is racking up crucial points for Dunfermline. He said: "I had a great first year when I was at Aberdeen, although the second season was a bit up and down when I was the captain.

"I think it was noticed after I left that there were more problems than just the players who were there that year.

"But I am just glad to see that Aberdeen are starting to do all right again as overall I had a good time at the club.

"Leaving was pretty hard and the year and a half I have been away, it seems to be much the same up there.

"Obviously, when you go back somewhere, you hope the fans aren't too harsh. To be honest, I don't know what to expect.

"It might be a mixed reception but I can deal with that and it isn't a problem. I'm still in touch with loads of the lads up there and it will be good to see them again." The Pars are without in-form Andy Barrowman after the striker pulled a calf muscle in the midweek defeat to Motherwell.

Captain Austin McCann could return from a hamstring problem but midfielder Paul Burns remains sidelined with a dead leg.

Aberdeen vs Dunfermline

Last modified 17:12 28/01/12

Vernon strike enough for Dons Scott Vernon's 10th goal of the season helped Aberdeen move into the top six of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with a 1-0 victory over Dunfermline.

With Kilmarnock on cup duty and Dundee United not playing, the Dons took full advantage to move above the pair and into the top half of the table for the first time in Craig Brown's tenure.

Dons striker Vernon took full advantage when Iain Turner raced from his line to try to collect Mark Reynolds' searching pass, headed the ball over the stranded goalkeeper to score the only goal of the game after 24 minutes.

Aberdeen's new signing Stephen Hughes started on the bench as the Dons made only one change from the side that drew 1-1 against Rangers at Ibrox last weekend with skipper Andrew Considine returning from a hamstring injury to replace New Zealand striker Rory Fallon.

Dunfermline included former Dons captain Mark Kerr in their starting XI and made two changes from the team that lost 3-1 to Motherwell on Tuesday.

Paul Willis and Ryan Thomson both started with striker Andrew Barrowman missing out after pulling a calf muscle in the loss to the Steelmen and Joe Cardle dropping to the bench.

Last time the sides met at Pittodrie, the Pars were on the wrong end of a 4-0 trouncing but they made a positive start to this encounter with Kerr picking out Liam Buchanan whose deflected shot drifted wide for a fruitless corner.

The hosts carved out their first real opening after six minutes when Rory McArdle crossed for Fraser Fyvie but Turner managed to tip the midfielder's low shot past the post.

Dunfermline should have broken the deadlock after 13 minutes when David Graham's perfect cross picked out the unmarked Buchanan but the striker's header was straight at Jason Brown in the Aberdeen goal.

The Dons almost capitalised when Turner flapped at a Fyvie cross after 20 minutes but Reynolds' header just cleared the crossbar.

Aberdeen made the breakthrough after 24 minutes when Reynolds picked out Vernon with a hopeful pass upfield and the Englishman's first-time header looped over the badly positioned Turner and into the unguarded net.

The Dunfermline goalkeeper went some way to making amends for his error by managing to keep out a Chris Clark drive, which took a wicked deflection, with his leg just before the break.

The Dons looked eager to put the result beyond doubt in the early stages of the second half with Clark Robertson firing well over and Vernon outpacing Kevin Rutkiewicz but his angled shot was well handled by Turner.

The hosts wasted another opportunity on the hour mark when they were awarded a free-kick in an inviting position but Turner was equal to Kari Arnason's weak, low drive.

However Dunfermline were enjoying large chunks of possession with Graham proving a particular nuisance to the Dons rearguard.

In a bid to stem the Pars' attacks, the home side introduced Hughes for his debut and Mohamed Chalali for Magennis and Fyvie after 69 minutes.

The Pars introduced Andy Kirk and Cardle for Willis and Buchanan with 11 minutes remaining as Jim McIntyre's side pressed for the equaliser.