Red Army forced to wait to discover its destination in Europe

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THE start of Aberdeen’s season is less than a fortnight away, and they are now one step closer to knowing who they’re actually going to be playing.

Yesterday’s draw in the needlessly renamed Europa League was an exercise in that majestic pointlessness of which Uefa are king.

With the hat containing more unspent matches than the Scottish Bluebell warehouse only 12 clubs definitively learned their fates, while supporters across Europe will mirror the Red Army next Thursday, lurking on airline websites ready to book flights to either Iceland or the Czech Republic.

As if the timing of the draw wasn’t odd enough, Uefa injected yet more superfluity by splitting it up into seemingly arbitrary bunches of five.

Within their handful the Dons will be relatively pleased, ducking a potential Hajduk Split lip, a bloody nose from Rangers’ 2008 conquerors Kaunas, or Swedish cracks Elfsborg.

Instead they head to Reykjavik or to a wonderfully eccentric stadium in Olomouc, where the stand behind the goal looks like half an archery target, giving Darren Mackie something to aim at.

Sigma, a dangerous if mid-ranking Czech outfit, finished behind Falkirk’s prospective opponents Slovan Liberec last season, while Fram are miles off the pace in the Icelandic league – eighth of 12 after 11 matches – and more famous for their handball team than their football one.

A strong performance from Tommy Wright, then, might have the Reds receiving a welcome transfer bid in straitened times.

Their respective reputations suggest it likelier that the Czechs will receive a second batch of Europa League kilts than that trouser-eschewing Dandies will risk Icelandic frostbite, but a 1-1 draw in Olomouc – secured with a last-minute home leveller – gives the in-season islanders the high ground.

If Sigma play to the sum of their parts they ought still to prevail, but either way the task ahead of the Aberdeen’s on-field employees looks more manageable than that facing the ones in charge of staging a European tie at seven days’ notice.

Chris Crighton is the editor of Dons fanzine the Red Final