Andrew Considine is delighted he and his Aberdeen team-mates were able to silence the critics after being written off as mere cannon-fodder in the Europa League qualifier against Croats Rijeka.
The Dons produced an outstanding performance in blistering heat on Thursday night to win 3-0 and all but secure a place in the third qualifying round of the competition.
This after being dismissed as an irrelevance by sections of Croatian media.
Dons defender Shay Logan was taunted in his pre-match press conference by reporters who asked how the men in red could expect to defeat Rijeka having toiled to defeat Macedonian club Shkendija in the previous round.
Considine confirmed the Aberdeen players used those derisory comments as an extra motivation to put the Croats to the sword, running out 3-0 winners in stunning style at Katrinda Stadium.
Rijeka had not lost in 12 previous European ties at home.
Considine scored the opening goal after a sustained spell of pressure from the home side before further goals from Peter Pawlett and Kenny McLean put the gloss on an incredible win for Aberdeen.
Considine said: “One of the local reporters went at Shay big time in the preview, saying we had no chance of winning.
“It was a bit off to say the least.
“We’ve got a reputation in Europe as well and we showed Rijeka respect. Their players showed us the same respect, but there’s no doubt the questioning of Shay fired us up.
“But to come away with three goals was impressive.”
The result has put pressure on Rijeka head coach Matjaz Kek, who is expected to take his club into the group stages for the third season in a row and an early exit after the second leg at Pittodrie next week could have major repercussions.
The Dons did not have it all their own way against the Prva Liga runners-up, however, as they had to survive an early onslaught from the home side and temperatures in excess of 30C before securing a three-goal lead in the tie.
Dons defender Considine has seldom experienced such conditions before – although he was part of the Aberdeen squad which spent the pre-season of season 2007-08 in the heat of an Egyptian summer in Alexandria – and he said: “It was horrible, probably the worst I’ve experienced.
“It was tough but again it shows just how great a result this was for us.
“This result is up there with anything I’ve had through the years.
“We believed we could come here and get a result but to win 3-0 was an incredible feat as they had not lost there in Europe for two years.
“They’ve had seriously good teams playing there so it was a fantastic result, but it is only half-time and there is a lot to play for.
“We have to stay on our toes and complete the job.
“The first 10 minutes was a bit of an eye-opener as they came at us thick and fast and hit the post, but the water break came at a good time as the manager had a few words and sorted us out.
“We restarted calmer and in more control and got the goal at a good time.
“The second half was even better with Peter’s cracking header and then Kenny’s first goal. The whole team was outstanding and we deserved this result.”