Dons must now play long game
ABERDEEN boss Derek McInnes last night set his sights on guiding the Dons to long-distance Europa League glory — as they prepare to cross five time zones in a bid to reach the play-offs. On a night when Inverness Caley Thistle went crashing out in Romania — their 0-0 draw against Astra Giurgiu condemning them to a 1-0 aggregate defeat and an early end to their first European adventure — the Dons drew 2-2 with HNK Rijeka at Pittodrie. Their 5-2 aggregate win over the Croatians secured them a third qualifying round tie against Kairat Almaty, with a trip of almost
5,000 miles for next week’s first leg in Kazakhstan already booked. ‘The distance makes the tie more complicated, but we’d rather be in it than watching others take part,’ said McInnes. ‘Every experience is different and European football can throw that up — and we’ll be ready for the game. ‘It’s eight hours and five time zones away, so it’s not simple. ‘We’ve worked so hard to have nights like this and we are determined to have a few more.’ McInnes admitted being a bit nervous when Rijeka flew into a 2-0 lead in the second half, before goals from Niall McGinn and Jonny Hayes settled concerns. ‘It was an anxious evening for a moment,’ he said. ‘When the second goal went in, the momentum was with them and they started to believe. ‘We knew if we scored, what they would require would be too much and at half-time we were pleased with what the players had given us. ‘They tested us but we handled it and created enough chances to go through.’