BRING ON RANGERS
Dons winger McGinn determined to avenge 5-0 Ibrox hammering
NIALL McGINN wants to enjoy a heavenly experience on his 300th appearance for Aberdeen by making life hell for Rangers at Pittodrie.
The former Celtic attacker will reach that notable landmark on Wednesday evening when Steven Gerrard’s title contenders come calling, and he is determined to make sure his side make a better fist of things than in their 5-0 trouncing at Ibrox in September. Manager Derek McInnes branded that defeat ‘a humiliating experience’ for the club and conceded that he struggled to think of ‘anything much lower’ during his six years in charge.
McGinn insists that the lack of spark among the Dons team that led to that sorry afternoon must be replaced this time round by getting right on Rangers’ case from the opening whistle and creating a harsh, intimidating atmosphere.
‘It is obviously a nice milestone for me to reach,’ said the 32-year-old Northern Ireland international of his 300th showing. ‘I’ve enjoyed my football here the most and feel I have contributed a lot to the club.
‘It is one of those ones, though, where, if I’m involved, it will be sweeter to win the game.
‘We’ll need to bring a strong performance and they (Rangers) need to know they are in a game. We want to get after them and knock them out of their stride, if you like.
‘Rangers are in good form and are full of good players, but we have to make it a hostile environment.
‘We know they will have lots of periods of possession and we will have to take our chances when they come along.’
McGinn denies, though, that the Dons have to restore reputations in this encounter.
In the eight games since that hammering on the south side of Glasgow, they have racked up five wins, with the only defeat coming at home to Celtic — albeit by a four-goal margin.
‘No bones about it, it was a tough day for everyone (at Ibrox),’ reflected McGinn.
‘You have to credit Rangers. They were ruthless in front of goal and they created lots of chances.
‘I don’t know if we have a point to prove. It is just a case of going out there and competing with them.
‘Celtic and Rangers have been absolutely brilliant this season and are scoring goals and doing well in Europe against good teams.
‘We want to be the best of the rest and we want to keep within distance of them, but we know it is going to be difficult. ‘The bottom line is that we have to learn from those sort of defeats and we have kicked on since then and reacted in the right way. ‘We do need to get back to keeping clean sheets as we always believe that we will create chances.’ Aberdeen goalkeeper and captain Joe Lewis is clear, however, that the Dons can’t possibly enter the Rangers encounter with the same lackadaisical approach that laid the foundations for their dismantling at Ibrox. ‘We need to show a much better mentality,’ he stated. ‘They are a good team, but we need to not sit off them, not have too much respect for them. We need to have an aggression and competitiveness about us that the shirt deserves.’
That Lewis is available for the visit of Rangers is, perhaps, quite fortunate after Saturday’s events.
He conceded a penalty with seven minutes to play in Aberdeen’s win over St Mirren after sending Jonathan Obika flying with an outstretched left arm.
With the Dons in front thanks to a McGinn goal, scored after Obika had cancelled out Sam Cosgrove’s early opener, visiting manager Jim Goodwin felt the Aberdeen No1 should have been sent off.
Referee Steven McLean told him that he felt Lewis had made a genuine attempt to win the ball.
Lewis then saved Tony Andreu’s spot-kick and denied the Frenchman again from the rebound.
Having already missed two golden chances earlier in the game, it came as no surprise when
Goodwin removed the former Hamilton midfielder from the play moments later.
McGinn’s strike, a thunderous effort high into the net from a Ryan Hedges cross, also helped Aberdeen hit another milestone — the 500th goal of McInnes’ reign in the Granite City.
McGinn also scored the first — against Kilmarnock at Pittodrie in April 2013 — and remembers it vividly.
‘The ball was played out wide, I ’megged the defender and put the ball in the top corner,’ smiled the winger, who is in his second spell at Pittodrie.
‘Getting the manager’s 500th on Saturday was good as well, so I hope I can keep chipping in and getting to these wee landmarks.
‘There are games where we defend at the right times, of course, but we try to get wide with the players we have and we try to get crosses into the box. The manager has been massive for me. Craig Brown brought me here and helped me get my career back on track. And since the new manager came in, I feel that I have been consistent.
‘When I came back from a spell in South Korea, playing under him was a massive attraction. It was a no-brainer.’
ABERDEEN (3-4-3): Lewis 8; Vyner 6, McKenna 6, Considine 6; Gallagher 6, Ferguson 6, Campbell 6 (Logan 71), Leigh 5; McGinn 7 (Main 86), Cosgrove 7, Hedges 7 (McLennan 77).
Subs not used: Cerny, Devlin, Wilson, Anderson. Booked: Lewis. ST MIRREN (4-3-3): Hladky 6; P McGinn 6, MacKenzie 7, McLoughlin 6, Waters 6; Flynn 7, S McGinn 7, Foley 7 (McAllister 75); Magennis 6 (Durmus 63), Obika 7, Andreu 4 (Morias 86). Subs not used: Lyness, Mullen, Cooke, MacPherson. Booked: Magennis, Durmus. Man of the match: Joe Lewis. Referee: Steven McLean. Attendance: 12,829.