Leigh highlights pressing need over midfield role

Greg Leigh admits he was unsure what he was doing right up until the start of his midfield debut for Aberdeen.

But the instructions of Derek McInnes and the way the game transpired at Motherwell has given the natural defender the blueprint for tomorrow’s visit of Celtic if he is handed the same role.

The left-back was given a central midfield slot alongside fellow defender Zak Vyner and the pair not only helped snuff out Motherwell’s threat, but made major contributions going forward in a 3-0 victory.

Leigh set up the opener and came close to scoring, while Vyner drilled home the third from long range.

“Setting up with myself and Zak in midfield, the idea was to shut them down and stop their midfielders playing,” Leigh said.

“The game plan for us, off the ball, was to get close to them and stop them playing forward. We came into the team to do that, we did it, I like to think we did it well and everyone else performed fantastically. It was a good real team performance on Saturday.

“Whoever is playing in midfield on Sunday, whether it is me or Zak, they have to go in and do the same thing again and get tight and push and make sure to press them the same way we did on Saturday.

“Obviously it will be different but we have to make sure we do the same again.”

The pair could be asked to do the same job again with Lewis Ferguson still suspended, although Craig Bryson is closing in on a return from an ankle injury.

The victory at Fir Park was Aberdeen’s first in four matches and took them a point off third in the Ladbrokes Premiership.