The Dons finally got it together at Fir Park on Wednesday night, putting on a much more entertaining display, picking up three points and giving themselves a much-needed lift ahead of this evening’s Viaplay Cup semi-final at Hampden.
They had gone into the match in second bottom position after Hibernian and Ross County had drawn 24 hours earlier, but such is the nature of the league, that one victory pushed them up to sixth, with a game in hand on the two sides directly above them.
That was a point Barry Robson picked up on in his interview afterwards.
Clearly a little prickly following recent criticism of himself and his team, he spoke somewhat sarcastically of a ‘crisis’ then reeled off what he saw as his side’s achievements to date.
The truth is the Dons had only played in fits and starts before the win at Motherwell and were much lower in the Premiership than they should have been given the backing Barry has had. He and his players badly needed that result and performance.
I have seen a fair bit of them this season, and all too often the emphasis has been on long balls pumped forward, and long throw-ins.
What they proved in midweek was that they are more than capable of playing fast-paced, attractive football, and I would hope to see more of that in the months ahead.
It was also good to see the goals being shared out. Jamie McGrath is certainly capable of getting into double figures for the campaign, and he showed composure and awareness in his finishing in Lanarkshire.
It would, I am sure, have been a relief for the manager to see Luis Lopes finally score again. The striker has been miles away so far this season; if he can get his confidence up, perhaps he can yet emulate last season’s goalscoring exploits, and offer the kind of back-up Bojan Miovski needs.
It may well take a similar performance at the National Stadium if the Dons are to reach the League Cup final.
Hibernian are on a poor run of form, having failed to win in their last five Premiership outings. In fact, they have not tasted success since beating St Mirren in the previous round of the competition.
They can be a strange and unpredictable side as their recent form confirms. They came from 2-0 down to draw with Hearts, but threw away a two-goal lead to drop points against Ross County, and they were hammered 4-0 by Rangers, yet followed that up with a 0-0 draw against Celtic.
Most people would, I think, view them as a dangerous attacking side, but they have failed to score in three of their last five games.
None of that will count for anything when the match kicks-off at 5.15pm; it will be down entirely to which side settles better, which embraces the occasion.
If the Dons perform as they did at Motherwell, I would see them as favourites to go through, but if the team reverts to the kind of football we have seen all too often during the first few months of the campaign, I wouldn have my doubts.
Hopefully it will be the former, and the Dons fans can start planning for a pre-Christmas return to Hampden Park.
Action required over pyrotechnics
Once again, this week, the lunacy of fans bringing pyrotechnics into football stadiums made the headlines.
This time it was Rangers supporters who, having had to wait 50 minutes for their game to kick-off late, almost got it postponed by letting off multiple flares which affected smoke and fire alarms at Dens Park.
➡️ The SPFL say the use of pyrotechnics by Rangers fans during the win in Dundee was "very concerning and unwelcome" and they will be "liaising with Police Scotland on the incident." pic.twitter.com/4gT25bQWcv
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) November 2, 2023
The Dons are among a number of clubs who have been fined for the actions of the moronic minority who somehow think it is acceptable to endanger themselves, and more importantly, those around them.
Aberdeen went as far as putting out a statement pleading with fans to desist, but going by some of the replies I read, their request will most likely fall on deaf ears.
Clubs are going to have to be more robust in searching supporters in a bid to halt this practice. If not, I fear a major incident with serious repercussions.
