It is a shame that Aberdeen’s European challenge ended in such a way.
Not particularly for Aberdeen themselves, however – they are where they deserve to be, and in the relevant context of the clearly incorrect implementation of the handball rule, it must not be forgotten that, had they not themselves been the beneficiaries of its erroneous application at McDiarmid Park, they would today be a mere three points clear of St Johnstone and the perilous position they occupy.
Nor will Ross County be overly fussed that their unlikely climb out of the bottom six was completed by a wrongly awarded penalty in the final 10 minutes of a match which they had otherwise created virtually no opportunities to win.
Few games have been value for money
But, by its nature, it is extremely uncommon for a game of football to reach its denouement with both teams a goal short of turning disaster into triumph, and – had the Pittodrie stalemate persisted a few minutes longer – those in attendance would surely have been treated to a wacky and entertaining finale.
With one point meaning nothing and three everything, both sides would have had to press the gamble button simultaneously, throwing everybody forward to force a last-gasp winner. The inevitable chaos which would have ensued may have gone some way to justifying the admission cost for a spectacle which hardly looked like one with so much on the line.
A fitting end, some might say, for the Dons. Few of their games this season have been value for money and the five which remain aren’t likely to buck the trend.
Even the normal phenomenon of players battling for their jobs doesn’t seem to apply – the signs are that anyone who can leave will be asked to, leaving a moribund limp to the finish for a club which has fallen way below expectations.
