Aberdeen looking to turn on some Pittodrie magic

Dons star says home supporters can help them to rock Rijeka

Pittodrie may have only hosted three games this season but it has already been a good-luck charm for Aberdeen.

Three wins from three, 10 goals scored and a vibrant atmosphere backing a vibrant Dons side. It has been home sweet home.

They will need a performance to get the old ground rocking on Thursday night, if they are to deliver one of their greatest results in European football against Rijeka.

The 2-0 defeat to the Croatian side last week, coupled with the morale-sapping 1-0 loss to St Mirren on Sunday, has dampened the enthusiasm somewhat of an energetic and entertaining start to the season.

In the games against Chikhura Sachkhere and Hearts this month, Aberdeen won by a combined total of 10-2. Lewis Ferguson has been a central hub in those displays and witnessed the effect a frenetic Pittodrie has on the team.

He said: “What we have shown on the pitch has also been evident in the crowd. When there has been a buzz like we have at our home games then everyone feeds off it, from the players to supporters.

“I think the tempo we’ve played at Pittodrie this season, there’s been a real buzz in and around the crowd. It lifts our energy levels that wee bit. It gives you that extra boost. We’ve played at a really quick, pacy tempo and that’s what the crowd want to see. What we’ve shown on the pitch has been reflected in the crowd. It’s just going back and forth because they’re feeding off us and we’re feeding off them.”

The Dons’ home form was a concern last season, dropping points against St Mirren, Hamilton Accies and Livingston, and going eight league games without a win on home soil from December 2018 to April this year.

Ferguson added: “We lost a good few points at Pittodrie in the league and it wasn’t good enough. You want to make your home ground a fortress and I think in the last couple of games there we’ve been magnificent. The crowd have really helped us. It’s the noisiest I’ve ever heard them. It helps massively. It’s as if they sucked the ball into the net. You get that feeling.

“When we went 2-1 down, and that happened a good few times last year, we never really came back from it. Against Hearts, a lot of people maybe thought that was us when we went 2-1 down and we looked dead on our feet but the crowd really got behind us and it gives you that extra spark and energy and we got the two late goals.”

It has been a busy start to the season but one Aberdeen anticipated, given their aspirations to progress further in the competition than ever before.

The squad, as seems to happen every summer, has undergone major surgery, with eight players – including Graeme Shinnie and Gary Mackay-Steven – departing and nine new faces coming in.

Ferguson said: “We have brought in some top players like (Funso) Ojo and Greg Leigh, while there is also Craig Bryson and although he has been injured, everyone has seen the career he has had. He has been a top player over the last eight years. The staff have done a good job in who they have brought in.

“We are in a really strong position and I would say we are stronger in terms of depth. Last season we had a lot of injuries and it left us a wee bit short but this year the staff have got it spot-on with their signings.”

Leigh said Aberdeen can take heart from Liverpool’s Champions League comeback to overcome Rijeka.

Liverpool famously overturned a 3-0 deficit to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League earlier this year, winning 4-0 at Anfield in unforgettable circumstances on their way to a sixth triumph in the competition.

Leigh said: “People wrote off Liverpool against Barcelona. It’s a strong position to know what you’ve got to do going into the game. A 1-0, 2-0 scoreline is difficult – do you go for it or sit off? We know we need to score goals – at least two – and not concede. That’s a gameplan we can go with. It’s a worry but we know what we’ve got to do.

“Everyone who plays in these big competitions comes up against this at some point. We’re a strong group. Sunday was annoying but it’s more annoying than a real worry. It’s something we address as early as possible and kick on for Thursday.

“We can’t afford a slow start. It’s something the manager addressed after the game and the players need to be aware. We know what we have to do and we have to do it as early as possible to give us the best chance.

“Going away to Rijeka, we didn’t show them what we’re about.

“We were going in not to concede, which would have been ideal, but we have to show them what we’re about at Pittodrie.

“We’ve done it before and we need to do it again.”

SNS. Lewis Ferguson says the home crowd has been buzzing this season.