CRISISCHATWITH GAFFERMADEUS REACHOURGOAL
Mayday call by boss fired up cold hitman ABERDEEN STEVIE’S BACK ON TRACK
BY SCOTT BURNS STEVIE MAY believes goal-hungry Aberdeen are now ready to strike fear into top-six rivals.
The frontman helped push the Dons back into the top half with their 3-2 win over Livingston on Tuesday.
That followed Derek McInnes demanding more from his team in the final third with Niall McGinn, Sam Cosgrove and Lewis Ferguson, with his last-gasp winner, all delivering.
And May revealed those crisis talks with attacking players, in a bid help the misfiring side find a cutting edge, had made all the difference.
He said: “We had a meeting, not just the strikers but all the attacking players. It was about crossing and making the right runs.
“The manager was pleased with us – against St Johnstone we hardly had chances at all and on Tuesday we could have had five or six.
“We had a couple of goals off crosses too.
“It was about getting bodies in the box and timing of the runs in attacking areas which definitely paid off with the first two goals.”
Aberdeen’s top scorer is winger Gary Mackay-Steven but in terms of strikers Cosgrove is ahead with three, Bruce Anderson and James Wilson have two and May has just one goal.
The former Preston frontman said: “It’s been more stop-start than I would have liked but there’s no point dwelling on that. I’ll just try do what I can every game. “It’s not ideal but you work as hard as you can to get as many chances as you can. “There’s no point over analysing. I definitely think it’s coming. Cozzy was in the same boat – he’s got his goal on Tuesday. “That was the first game since we had the meeting and it’s been really positive. We got three goals and could have had three or four more. “If we can keep solid at the back like we have been and add more goals at the top end we’re in good stead.”
But while he’ll do his best to stay relaxed the £400,000 signing is desperate to repay the extended faith McInnes has shown in him.
He said: “It’s always nice to have trust from the boss and I try everything I can when I’m out there. There are people on the bench not getting as many chances and you do appreciate that when you’re not playing.”
Aberdeen moved into the top six by taking the points off Livingston and they now have a good opportunity to pile them up –starting with a trip to bottom side St Mirren this weekend before clashes with Dundee and Hearts.
May said: “There’s a lot of winnable games coming up, games on paper where we’ll probably have more chance than not to get points.
“If we knuckle down and get the job done then it will start to look better for us come the end of the month.”