RYAN Hedges is targeting more goals and a place at next summer’s European Championships with Wales and believes he is in the perfect place to achieve both of those ambitions.

The forward has started to show the quality he possesses in spells this season and was influential as his side jumped to third in the Scottish Premiership thanks to a 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock on Sunday.

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In a tepid first half where little quarter was given, Hedges looked the most likely on the park to create something given somewhat of a free role off of Curtis Main. When he picked the ball up in midfield but opted to try and find a teammate instead of pulling the trigger when bearing down on goal, Derek McInnes was visibly and vocally frustrated at the lack of cutting edge on display.

After the restart there was to be no such misfortune. Kilmarnock surrendered possession cheaply and Hedges drove at the hosts’ defence before unleashing an effort which, aided by a Stuart Findlay deflection, found its way into the net. The touch of fortune was just reward for Hedges’ direct play in a game which up to that point had lacked any sort of incision.

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“At half time the gaffer said if you don’t shoot you don’t score, that was definitely at the forefront of my thinking when I picked up the ball. Luckily it has gone in,” said Hedges post-match who now has eight goals this season.

“If anything, I’m behind {goal tally}. Obviously as a front player you’ve got to get as many goals s you can and as long as I can keep contributing that’s the main thing.”

Hedges, capped three times by Wales, also outlined his international intentions as his country gear up for a slot at Euro 2020 next year. And is hoping he can follow the lead of another Welshman, Simon Church, who’s form at Pittodrie got him to the Euros in 2016.

“With the World Cup qualifiers coming in March that would be something I’m aiming for and the end of the season with the Euros,” he said. “I’ve just got to keep my head down, keep working and keep helping the team here and we’ll see what happens come March and the summer.

“When I signed the manager said that to me {that Simon Church earned his Wales spot while at Aberdeen}. Obviously, my aspiration was to get to the Euros squad and he said there’s no better place to be than Aberdeen.”

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After taking their time to get going on Sunday, Aberdeen were much the stronger team in the second half and added another deep into injury time. When Dean Campbell picked out Sam Cosgrove’s run in behind the defence, Brandon Haunstrup was shown a red for a last-man foul at the edge of the area. It looked as though Cosgrove, who had just moments earlier passed up a guilt edged opportunity, wouldn’t get his second goal of an injury hit season. But from the resulting set-piece he fired home under the wall to secure the three points. A free-kick Kilmarnock legend Kris Boyd, watching from the gantry, had trademarked during his spells at Rugby Park.

Kilmarnock’s display was anything but vintage and ensured they slipped to their third straight defeat and lengthened their winless run against the Dons at home, having now not won in this fixture at Rugby Park since 2011. Things are looking strikingly less positive than they did after their last home match in November, when they beaten Ross County with 10 men.

“They just seem to have the better of us in recent years, I thought this would have been the day it happened,” revealed Killie’s Rory Mackenzie after the match.

“I think one of the last wins against them I was in the youth team shovelling snow off of the park that’s how long ago it was.

“The only good thing is that there is another game straight away on Wednesday so we don’t need to think about it for a week.”