Ibrox goal hero Jack MacKenzie insists resurgent Aberdeen are now ready to to make their mark in the Europa Conference League.
MacKenzie fired in the Dons’ third goal in a sensational 3-1 win against Rangers in Glasgow.
A first victory for the Reds at Ibrox since March 2019 extended Aberdeen’s winning run to three games in all competitions.
Defender MacKenzie reckons the catalyst for the upsurge in fortune was the impressive performance in losing the Group G opener 2-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.
Aberdeen now face Finnish club HJK Helsinki at Pittodrie in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.
And MacKenzie is determined to maintain the winning run to put valuable points on the Group G board.
He said: “Helsinki will be a really tough game and with the situation in the group we need a positive result at home.
“We will be full of confidence but won’t get complacent.
“We have a lot of new players and it did take a wee bit of time to gel.
“I feel as if we are ready now.
“Everyone is gelling and it is a great group of boys.
“The last four performances have shown that.”
Germany the catalyst for Aberdeen
Aberdeen victory is the first at Ibrox by any Scottish side other than Celtic since March 2020.
MacKenzie reckons the performance against Bundesliga giants Eintracht Frankfurt gave the Dons the confidence that has ignited the campaign.
He said: “We had a bit of a slow start to the season but when we lost in Frankurt we took a lot of good things from that.
“We tried to take a lot of that into the game against Rangers.
“The two goals we conceded in Frankfurt were a penalty and a corner.
“We matched them and created chances.
“Eintracht Frankfurt are a top, top side and were in the Champions League last season.
“They won the Europa League the season before that.
“We took a lot of confidence from that performance into the two Ross County games and took care of them.
“With the two wins against Ross County as well I feel as if we are building something good.
“It was nice to win at Ibrox because it doesn’t often happen.”
MacKenzie’s joy at scoring at Ibrox
Aberdonian MacKenzie is a product of the Pittodrie youth system.
His strike against Rangers was only his second goal for the club, with his previous coming in a 2-1 win at Livingston in August 2021.
On scoring at Ibrox, he said: “It was a brilliant feeling.
“I have only scored one goal so it was nice to double that tally.
“We went in to the game against Rangers with a similar game-plan to the one in Frankfurt which worked quite well.
“We thought we would try the same and it worked well again.
“Happy days.”
Frustrating the Rangers supporters
Aberdeen boss Barry Robson utilised the same formation and starting XI in Ibrox that had pushed Frankfurt so hard in Germany.
Rangers and boss Michael Beale have been under pressure and were booed off the pitch in their previous Premiership game, a 1-0 win against Motherwell.
MacKenzie revealed the plan was to frustrate Rangers and get the home supporters to turn on their team.
It worked.
He said: “When you play the Old Firm you need to frustrate them because the fans do play a part.
“When they are up and firing they can push them on so it works both ways.
“The game plan was to frustrate them and get the crowd on their back and, obviously, that happened.”
‘The support we have is unbelievable’
Aberdeen supporters were celebrating in Ibrox as the resurgent Reds ended a five-year Premiership win drought at the stadium.
MacKenzie praised the “unbelievable” fans for their backing even when the Dons were struggling to deliver wins earlier in the season.
Thank you for your wonderful support in Glasgow this afternoon 🔴#StandFree pic.twitter.com/PVKpClPWHV
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) September 30, 2023
He said: “The support we have is unbelievable.
“Even up at Dingwall on a Wednesday night, chucking it down with rain, and they were still there singing throughout the whole game.
“They have been unbelievable all season which is a massive help for us as they push us on.”
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