Stockley hopes to have impressed in his Final audition
AS an audition for the Betfred Cup Final, Jayden Stockley’s 53rd-minute winner against Partick Thistle was a persuasive piece of theatre from an understudy.
Aberdeen were well worth a 2-1 victory at Firhill on Friday that saw them recover from back-toback defeats and return to winning ways on the countdown to facing Celtic at Hampden.
Only one more league fixture remains — Inverness away — for players to stake their claim to Derek McInnes for a place in the team on November 27.
In only his second start since August 13, Stockley was excellent alongside Adam Rooney in a front two and topped his display off with his classy second-half finish.
After being restricted to a seat on the bench in the semi-final against Morton, the 23-year-old signing from Bournemouth hopes that work will help him secure a promotion for the Final.
‘All the lads are under the microscope because they want to be in that team,’ said Stockley.
‘That is a game you want to play in. The reason I came here was to try to get silverware. I had a good season (on loan at Exeter and Portsmouth) last season but I want to taste being in a successful side.
‘It was disappointing not to get on in the semi, but the lads did the job. I’ve had a niggling injury and, although I was on the bench at Hampden, I wasn’t quite right.
‘It was great for me to get a start against Partick. Hopefully, this will be a successful run for me now — although I’m sure a lot of the lads who are chomping at the bit to start will say that.
‘That makes it more important to take your chance when you get it.’
Stockley seized his opportunity in spectacular fashion, linking with a James Maddison through ball then chipping Thorsten Stuckmann from 20 yards for his fourth Dons goal.
The strike discouraged a Thistle comeback, two minutes after Adam Barton’s header cancelled out Anthony O’Connor’s opener.
Stockley said: ‘It was brilliant to score a goal like that — a winner so quickly after they had equalised, especially in front of our travelling supporters.
‘Maybe we should’ve scored a couple more and we were holding on a bit at the end but were resilient. It was important to come back after two defeats and start to get another run going.’
There was injury-time agony for Thistle defender Danny Devine when he shot straight at Joe Lewis as substitute David Amoo begged for a tap-in.
Devine said: ‘It was a hard night for us. I thought they played really well, probably the best I’ve seen them against us. It’s disappointing, after we got the equaliser, to concede so quickly.’