The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Captain confident Dons won’t wilt in heat of Cyprus
Shinnie keen to book place in Europa League play-off round
Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie is confident his side will handle the heat and the hostility of Cyprus when the Dons try to book a place in the play-off round of the Europa League.
Midfielder Shinnie scored a spectacular goal on Thursday to give the Dons a 2-1 first-leg lead against Apollon Limassol.
The Cypriot club’s coach Sofronis Avgousti has called on his club’s supporters to shake the Dons in the return leg, which will be played at Larnaca on Thursday, but Shinnie insists he and his team-mates are unfazed about what awaits.
He said: “The last round showed we are capable of getting a result on the road and this is no different.
“We’ve got a lead to take over there and now we have to come up with a plan to get a result in Cyprus.
“We’ve played in hot conditions and hostile atmospheres before. We won at Siroki Brijeg in the last round and won at Rijeka in Croatia in the past, so we know what to expect next week.”
Aberdeen’s pressing play unsettled the Cypriots and Shinnie knows his side will have to do the same next week.
He said: “We wanted to start as well as we could and press them as we knew they would pass it around us if we sat off them.
“They like to keep possession, but we managed to upset that and getting the early goal settled us. We like to impose ourselves on a game and press as much as we can, and we’ll be trying to do it again.
“We will create chances over there and I believe we have a great opportunity of going through if we are solid.
“We have a lead and we will defend it, but we’ll also try to grab a goal.”
The midfielder’s goal brought the Pittodrie faithful to their feet to hail the captain’s effort and it was a moment to live long in the Aberdonian’s memory.
He said: “I used to sing players’ names when I was younger and it’s brilliant being here and seeing youngsters with Shinnie on the back of their jerseys.
“It’s what football is all about and hopefully I can repay their support.
“Russell Anderson, being the role model he was, was a man I looked up to and it’s the same with Willie Miller and everything he did for the club.
“I’ve got a wonderful relationship with the supporters and when the goal went in it was special to hear the crowd singing my name, it’s what every player wants.”
Supporting the Dons has become a family affair for the Shinnies with the Aberdeen captain’s daughter Penelope already nailing her colours to the mast in supporting her dad’s team.
He said: “My phone has been red hot and a lot of my friends and family were in the crowd.
“My little one, who is two, loves the football. She sings Come on you Reds all day every day, so when the football comes around she is buzzing.”