There’s no need to panic — Smith

dons players determined to get back on track next time out when they take on motherwell

By Michael Gannon

Published:

Aberdeen attacker Jamie Smith is pleading with Dons supporters not to panic after the miserable opening-day defeat by Caley Thistle at Pittodrie.

Inverness grabbed their first win over the Dons in a 2-0 victory as, for the fifth successive season, Aberdeen failed to win their opening league fixture.

Andrew Barrowman and Roy McBain grabbed the goals in front of the disgruntled home supporters, who made their feelings known loud and clear at the end.

Smith acknowledged the display was not good enough and vowed that the Dons squad will be working hard to get back on track at Motherwell this weekend.

He said: “It was extremely disappointing. For the first game of the season the expectation levels are high and we fancied it going into the game.

“The result was disappointing, but probably more so because of the performance. I thought Inverness worked very hard and they were difficult to break down.

“You want to get off to good start and it will be hard to pick ourselves up for a difficult game at Motherwell on Saturday.

“I can understand the supporters’ frustration, we feel it ourselves. We don’t set out to play that badly.

“The booing might be premature, it was the first game of the season, but it was understandable. We set a certain standard last season with the European run and the expectation levels are high.

“The expectation is not just there from the supporters, everyone at the club wants to achieve things here as well and Saturday was not good enough.

“We will work hard in training and try to sort it. We need to get some consistency this season. It might take a few weeks to get there but I am sure we will get it together.”

Smith was one of several Dons to have an off-day but he accepts he has a key role to play for the Dons this season.

The former Celtic forward missed a large portion of last season due to injury but he is determined to shine.

He said: “The last couple of seasons I have had a lot of injuries but I have had some really good moments, such as the European games.

“I feel I had a lot to offer to the team and I would love to have an injury-free season.

“I want to show what I can do. I need to show more consistency.

“I can handle the pressure of expectation. I must be doing something right if people are looking to me to create or score the goals and I am happy to take on that responsibility.”