Aberdeen attacker Jayden Stockley is not worried about facing a Ventspils side midway through their domestic season when the Latvians visit Pittodrie on Thursday in the Europa League.
Unlike first-round opponents Fola Esch of Luxembourg, who were also in pre-season training, the visitors to Aberdeen this week have been playing league matches for three months.
However Stockley, who scored twice in his side’s 4-2 win at East Fife on Sunday, believes match fitness will not give Ventspils an advantage.
The former Bournemouth attacker said: “Ventspils have played 13 matches so far, so they are well into their season, but we can’t get hung up on that. We won’t think about that, we will just focus on ourselves.
“The talent we have in this squad is enough to scare any team so it doesn’t matter how far they are into their season.
“They might think it is an advantage, but we don’t see it that way.
“They will be a tough test, that’s all we’re focusing on because it’s a round further into the competition.”
Stockley’s introduction to European football has been mixed so far, with the 22-year-old forward enjoying a 3-1 win in a dominant triumph at home before enduring a miserable afternoon in Luxembourg last week in the second leg where Fola Esch won 1-0.
The work done in the first leg was enough to ensure the Dons still went through but Dorset-born Stockley is grateful for the chance to make amends for his side’s poor performance.
He said: “The game in Luxembourg was a great learning curve, especially for those who haven’t played in the competition before.
“We have a chance on Thursday now to put it right and we want to put on a show for the supporters.
“The two performances couldn’t have been more different since we were so attacking and showed so much flair at home.
“But away from home last week the performance level wasn’t what we wanted to be.
“In cup football, though, it’s all about getting through and, if we put on a good show this week, then the game against Fola Esch will be forgotten about.”
While Stockley is settling into his new surroundings, Peter Pawlett has been linked with a move away from Pittodrie with Neil Lennon’s Hibernian interested in signing the midfielder on loan.
