Bryson: Dons must put shackles on old boy May against St Johnstone

CRAIG Bryson says Aberdeen must put the shackles on Stevie May on Saturday as he looks for a proper lift-off to his Pittodrie career.

May returns to t he Granite City just two weeks after leaving for St Johnstone after the saga of the summer was finally ended at the end of the window.

Bryson knows how often in the past players have come back to haunt their old clubs so h e ’s desperate to shut out May as he seeks to play his first full game as a Don.

The f ormer Scotland international said: “It’s up to t he gaffer and t he defence to see how we handle Stevie May – and, hopefully, we can keep him quiet.

“He’s a good lad. I got on well with him when he was at Pittodrie and I wish him well at St Johnstone – but obviously not on Saturday.

“You have a point to prove in every game – you always do.

“I’m sure he’ll want to come back up to Aberdeen and show what he’s all about. It’s up to us as a team to keep him out and, hopefully, win the game.”

The former Derby midfielder says it’s crucial for the Dons to build on the win over Ross County before the break after shipping points on the road.

And he says there are no excuses now that European football is off the agenda.

Bryson said: “The win over Ross County was a big result for us. I think when you’re travelling to Croatia and Georgia and then having to get ready for games at the weekend, it can be tough.

“Obviously, we’ve had poor results at Kilmarnock and St Mirren and you can kind of use the European games as an excuse for that.

“But now that we’re out of the competition there are no excuses. We just need to kick on now and get a run going.”

Craig Bryson and Stevie May were together at Aberdeen for a short time this summer.