Aberdeen manager Barry Robson believes Jamie McGrath is showing just why he wanted the midfielder at Pittodrie.
McGrath scored two goals in the Dons’ 4-2 win at Motherwell on Wednesday to take his tally for the season to four in 14 games.
McGrath’s performance was the highlight of a fine Dons display at Fir Park and Robson is not surprised to see his summer signing thriving at the club.
He said: “Jamie showed why we took him here. He scores goals and we need goals from midfield. He’s a great kid who wants to pass, make runs forward and he’s a terrific player.
“We’ve got a good group here and if we’re going to be successful we’re going to need that.”
The fine display at Well was just the tonic the Aberdeen manager and his players needed ahead of their Viaplay Cup semi-final against Hibernian at Hampden on Saturday.
Victory in Lanarkshire moved the Dons into the top half of the table and Robson hopes his side can build momentum in the weeks ahead as they look to re-establish themselves back in the chasing pack in the top half of the table.
He said: “We never performed well at Kilmarnock, we all know that. But the way we moved the ball at Motherwell was really good.
“When we get it right we’re a really good side.
“We’re up to sixth with a game in hand which could take us up to fourth. That’s coming off the back of some unbelievably tough European games so we’re staying in the fight.
“We’ve got a semi-final we need to go and navigate and win.”
‘It’s not easy fighting on all fronts’
The Aberdeen manager admits competing in Europe and domestically has been mentally challenging for his side with the schedule testing his squad to the full.
Juggling European commitments with league and cup competition remains a task to be mastered but the Dons boss is confident his side will get there.
Robson said: “I want us to stay in every competition as long as we can and perform well in them. It’s not easy fighting on all fronts but the boys are giving it everything they’ve got at the minute.
“It’s not always easy to get fluency with the amount of disruption we have due to the number of games we’re playing.
“You go from PAOK with the unbelievable budget they have and quality of player they’ve got to Kilmarnock where it’s percentage football on an astroturf pitch and then to Motherwell where the pitch is brilliant and you can play a bit.
“We need to navigate all those challenges and try to be consistent.”
Dons boss wants a vocal Red Army at Hampden
Despite an inconsistent start to the campaign the Dons can book a return to the National Stadium for the League Cup final if they beat Hibs at Hampden on Saturday.
The Aberdeen fans have been racking up the miles in supporting their team and Robson is counting on the Red Army to make another big effort to get behind the players again this weekend.
He said: “We’re looking forward to Hampden. We need the fans behind us again and we need them to keep coming.
“I’ve seen them at Frankfurt, in Hacken, at Killie and again at Motherwell. We need them, I’ve said that since the day I came in.
“It’s our fourth game in a short space of time and we’ll need them there in big numbers.”
Conversation