Last-gasp Dons earn praise for adapting

Aberdeen assistant manager Tony Docherty praised his side for the way they adapted to the conditions and kept going until the very end after they beat Motherwell 1-0 on Saturday with an injury-time goal from Niall McGinn.

With the Pittodrie pitch far from its best condition, Docherty was delighted with the Dons’ endeavour.

He said: “The pitch wasn’t great. We needed to adapt, to find a way to play but we’ve done it again.”

The pitch was watered before the match and again at halftime, and Docherty continued: “We’re trying to create tempo because we have real pace in the team.

“We were trying to get the grass a bit slicker because when teams sit in against you, you need to move them about.

“We’ve got players like Jayden Stockley and Adam Rooney up front so we can change the style of play. It’s all about finding a way to win the match and we know we have the answers in the dressing room.”

Motherwell caretaker boss Stephen Robinson will meet with the club’s board this week to discuss his future, but insists his focus is entirely on the field.

“I’ll have a chat with the board on Monday and we’ll go from there,” he said. “I’ve concentrated on the football side of things which is what I’m good at.

“There are no questions asked about the players in terms of their desire and attitude. The fans who travelled here today will go home disappointed but it was a completely different performance from the last visit here.”

Bottom club Inveress Caley Thistle also found a vital late goal to earn a point away to Partick Thistle.

The hosts took a 57th-minute lead when Rob Edwards set up Kris Doolan to poke home his 99th goal for the club.

But Gary Warren headed a stoppage-time equaliser as Inverness kept themselves a point behind Hamilton, who were hammered 4-0 at Hearts with Arnaud Djoum, Isma Goncalves, Jamie Walker and Malaury Martin scoring.

Kilmarnock won 2-1 at Ross County with Kris Boyd’s late strike.

Conor Sammon had opened the scoring for Killie after a goal-less first half but Liam Boyce equalised.