Jonny Hayes was delighted to help Aberdeen end their Dingwall hoodoo last night.
A Paul Quinn own goal gave Aberdeen a first victory against Ross County at Victoria Park. The Dons dominated the match but had nothing to show for their efforts until the Staggies stand-in skipper turned a Niall McGinn cross into his own net after 56 minutes.
A win would have moved Jim McIntyre’s men off the foot of the Premiership but they rarely troubled the Aberdeen defence.
Hayes turned in a man-of-the-match performance as the Reds won 1-0 for a third successive time but felt they could have won by a more comfortable margin.
He said: “We were a little wasteful with chances and we could have scored a couple more. It is a tough place to come so we are happy to come away with three points. It is always a difficult game and that is the first time we have won here. It is the first time I have won here as a player as I didn’t manage to do it with Caley Jags, either.
“A win was the first objective and we are delighted to get it. It has been pleasing that we have kept clean sheets in the past three games and we are feeling confident.”
McIntyre, meanwhile, felt the Staggies lacked attacking belief. He said: “The one thing that disappointed me was our belief on the ball when we won it back. We started the game well. In the first 15 minutes our shape was good and we were hard to break down.
“When you’re set up like that you need to spring, and we had attacking players in the front five positions. I was expecting a bit more on the ball, being a bit braver and trying to hurt Aberdeen.
“I don’t think we did that. Aberdeen are a good side. They hem you in and pin you back with the pace they’ve got on the flanks. It was a tough night and Jonny Hayes especially played exceptionally well.”