WE HAVE ALREADY MOVED DON

Reynolds warns Euro hurt won’t stop Reds pushing Celts on domestic front

He said: “We are already lifted. We have had a good European campaign again.

“Obviously it’s disappointing to go out the way we have but we still regard ourselves as Celtic’s biggest challengers. We will go into the league feeling confident.

“We’ve lost a few players but shown in the European games we have recruited well and are a good team again who will cause problems for sides.

“We will go forward and keep trying to build, just as we have over the last three or four years.

“We definitely want to improve on our points total. You always look to improve and although you can’t say how it’s shaping up till later in the season we will be giving that our best.

“If you are talking about trying to beat that points tally we will need to win as many games as we can. If we want to be up there challenging as close to Celtic and Rangers – Hibs and Hearts too – we have to win most weeks.

“We need to dust ourselves down and get focused on three point s agai n . The league campaign has come around and we want to be ready from the very start. This team is as strong as it the fourth season in a row after losing a 2-1 first-leg lead.

However, Reynolds insists the Dons don’t have to smash through a mental barrier before they can break into the play-offs.

The ex-Motherwell defender said: “I don’t think it becomes a psychological issue.

“You just have to say we have played good sides and haven’t been good enough. This year we sat on the plane and felt we’d blown a real opportunity.

“Out of all the years we’ve been here this was definitely our best chance of progression.

“Anybody who has followed those campaigns would agree. Previously we’ve played top European sides.

“Don’t get me wrong, Apollon were decent – but they were beatable. We showed in spells we are a good side. We press the opposition high, get the ball, pass it about and have players who can show that wee bit of magic.

“It just wasn’t there on Thursday. The goal was sloppy but it didn’t really change the complexion. We went there thinking we needed to score and that didn’t change.

“We gave ourselves a real chance after the first leg. We knew the away goal was going to come into it and if we had kept it at 2-1 it was going to be huge.

“We knew we had to score. We were fine in the first half – that’s the best way to describe it.

“We weren’t great, we weren’t at our best but we limited their opportunities. Their goal was probably the only clear- cut chance of the first 45 minutes.”

That finish from Maltese striker Andre Schembri left the Dons chasing the tie as they became the first Scottish side to lose to Cypriot opposition.

Apollon joined Sociedad, Kairat and Maribor in sending Aberdeen out and Reynolds added: “It’s the manner of our exit that is disappointing.

“No disrespect to them but any time we have gone out it has been against a bigger team.

“We’ve been here before but we’ve always gone out giving it our best and showing exactly what we are all about.

“We showed that in spells against Apollon but just didn’t show it enough. Their first goal last week and f irst this week were poor defending rather than them cutting us open. We huffed and puffed. We