Dons do not fear anyone, says McLean
IT really just depends on how you look at it. If the glass is half- full, the opening 77 minutes of this match illustrated why a multitude of wellwishing neutrals now believe Aberdeen’s title challenge boasts genuine credibility.
But if the glass is half- empty, then the final 13 minutes showed why others feel a vulnerability may yet see i t ambushed i nto an anti-climax.
When Adam Rooney struck his second goal of the afternoon to put Aberdeen 4-1 up, they were cruising. They had one foot firmly on the gas pedal, the other compressed on the throat of St Johnstone, and both hands tugging firmly at Celtic’s coattails at the top of the Premiership.
But the concession of two late goals saw them rather fall over the line. It was messy. The swagger had suddenly turned to a stagger. Shipping t hree goals t o an attacking unit as l i mited as St Johnstone’s was on Saturday created just as many questions as the four goals they scored had seemingly answered.
Kenny McLean acknowledged that Aberdeen made life difficult for themselves over the final few minutes at McDiarmid Park, but insisted that the important thing was to see the job through and get over the line.
‘We made it more difficult than it needed to be,’ admitted the 24-year-old Dons midfielder. ‘When we went 4-1 up, we maybe took it for granted and thought the game was finished.
‘But we showed good character to dig in and get the result. St Johnstone were throwing everything at us in the last couple of minutes of injury time, but we stood up to it.
‘We know conceding three goals isn’t great, but the biggest thing was getting the victory and the three points.
‘Last season, it might well have been games like today that we dropped points. With the pressure we were under, a lot of teams might have crumbled. So we deserve credit.’
It’s difficult to pick flaws in McLean’s assessment. League titles are not won on artistic merit. The Premiership table paints no pictures. Aberdeen are now level on points with Celtic at the top.
There is a theory among certain quarters of Scottish football that a reluctance from Derek McInnes and his players to fill journalists’ notepads with title - winning hyperbole equates to a lack of belief. Frankly, that is nonsense.
Of course Aberdeen believe they can win the title. Why wouldn’t they when their main rivals happens to be the poorest Celtic team since the John Barnes vintage of 1999/2000? On the basis of cold, hard results, the Dons are one of the hottest t eams in Europe. They are now unbeaten in 12 Premiership matches, winning nine and drawing three. ‘It’s great to move to the top of the league at this stage of the season, but we know Celtic have a game in hand,’ said McLean.
‘ We are on a good unbeaten run in the league, stretching back about three months. We definitely have good momentum. All we can do is put pressure on Celtic, and that’s what we have been doing.’ The pressure which McLean referred to manifest itself in Saturday morning’s headlines, with Celtic captain Scott Brown claiming his si de were still ‘certainties’ to win the league title, despite their 2-1 loss last week at Pittodrie. It was a brash statement and it showed that Aberdeen have rattled their rivals.
‘We dropped some silly points in the run-in last year, but I think the character we have in the squad will see us win a lot of games between now and the end of the season,’ added McLean.
‘We have a confidence now that we can take three points off of anyone, regardless of who it is or where it is.’
That confidence was evident in McLean’s own performance throughout this match. In the absence of skipper Ryan Jack, McLean was the linchpin in Aberdeen’s midfield.
He bossed the game, spraying passes around with his left foot at will and showing enough intelligence to plug the gaps created by the marauding full-back duo of Graeme Shinnie and Shay Logan.
They took just five minutes to continue the momentum which they had built against Celtic. Rooney slid in at the back post to convert a poacher’s finish from Logan’s cross, before Peter Pawlett doubled their advantage with a deflected free-kick.
David Wotherspoon pulled a goal back for St Johnstone shortly after the interval. But some relentless Aberdeen pressing saw Niall McGinn rob Joe Shaughnessy of possession inside his own penalty area. Simon Church collected the ball before squaring for McGinn to slot home into an empty net.
Rooney then notched a magnificent solo effort to make it 4-1. The Dons striker picked the ball up inside his own half with no options available. Advancing down the left wing, he beat three St Johnstone players before slotting his 18th goal of the season.
Saints boss Tommy Wright lamented what he called ‘horrendous’ defending from his team which had afforded Aberdeen a position of such command in the match. McInnes could have been forgiven had he used a similar term to describe his own side’s efforts at the back over the final 10 minutes.
Ash Taylor did not show any kind of aggression in dealing with a Saints corner. In failing to get off the ground, he allowed Stevie Anderson to arrive at the back post and head past Scott Brown.
The Dons keeper was then at fault for St Johnstone’s third, allowing a Tam Scobbie volley to squirm underneath his body.
Relief was probably the overriding emotion for the Dons as the full-time whistle sounded. But it did not stop their fans in a packed away end from striking up the band.
‘We’re coming for you, Glasgow Celtic, we’re coming for you,’ was the chant.
McInnes might continue to deny his team are in a title race, but his fans have already turned the final bend on to the home straight.