Craig Brown was delighted to reward the Aberdeen support with a victory in his final home match as manager.
Niall McGinn’s double sealed a 2-0 win over Hearts. Brown and assistant Archie Knox received a warm ovation as they walked along the track towards the tunnel after their team kept their top-six hopes alive.
Brown will move aside for Derek McInnes, who was among the 10,175 crowd, after the game at Tannadice next Saturday.
Aberdeen gave themselves a chance of starting off the new manager’s reign in the top half after moving above Hibernian and Dundee United into seventh place.
Brown said: “I’m not an emotional guy but it was nice.
“When you walk down there, I have heard it the other way, but nothing bad. They always applaud the Aberdeen manager up the track at the start of the game and I always acknowledge it.
“But going back at half-time if you’re not winning ‘get it sorted out Brown’ they tell you. But the support to me since I have been here has been fantastic.
“I’m grateful to the support because it has been consistently supportive, even when you lose a game.”
Inverness kept up their pursuit of European football with a 2-1 win over Hibs at Easter Road.
Second-half goals from Ross Draper and Andrew Shinnie, either side of Leigh Griffiths’ 23rd goal of the season, were enough to earn them the victory, keeping them three points behind Motherwell in second and extending their lead over Ross County in fourth to five points.
James Fowler’s second-minute goal was enough to secure the points for Kilmarnock at Ross County.
It was only County’s third league defeat of the season at Global Energy Stadium.
Jereon Tesselaar swung a cross in from the left and Rory McKenzie’s lay-off was swept high into the net by Fowler.