The Dons are ready for their next step
FOR three years in a row, Aberdeen have stumbled at the third qualifying round stage of the Europa League, falling painfully short on each occasion. But Andrew Considine, their long-serving defender, believes they have at last got a golden opportunity to progress to the play-off round by defeating Cypriots Apollon Limassol.
Aberdeen gave Scottish football a shot in the arm with a much-needed win against Bosnians Siroki Brijeg on Thursday night, following hugely disappointing exits from Rangers and St Johnstone at the first hurdle to teams from Luxembourg and Lithuania.
The Dons had to win in the baking hot conditions of the Balkans after a 1-1 first-leg home draw and produced a professional display to claim a 2-0 success thanks to goals from new signings Greg Stewart and Gary Mackay-Steven.
Manager Derek McInnes has had a busy summer and he has also recruited Ryan Christie — who set up both goals — along with Greg Tansey, Nicky Maynard and Kari Arnason, who can play in the next round.
Considine has been part of Aberdeen teams who can boast a more-than-decent record on their European travels after impressive away wins against current Croatian champions Rijeka — where he scored — and Groningen, as well as Siroki plus two wins in Latvia.
And he strongly believes they are better equipped this season to take that extra step in Europe, with the first leg at Pittodrie this week.
Considine said: ‘I don’t know much about Apollon, but it’s absolutely a golden chance to try to get to that next stage.
‘But I’m sure they are probably thinking exactly the same thing.
‘If we can up our performance in the next home game on Thursday, which we have to, then — hopefully — we can get a performance and a couple of goals to go with it.
‘I know it’s going to be even hotter and tougher in Cyprus than it was in Bosnia. We have been to some really tough places in Europe and achieved results, so there is no reason why we can’t do so again. ‘I hope we are better equipped to do well in Europe this season. Last season I felt we had an incredible squad and enjoyed a tremendous season.
‘The boys the gaffer has recruited have certainly matched the expectations of what the manager has asked for. I feel that another week or two before we go to Cyprus will certainly benefit us.
‘In Bosnia, it was a very similar performance to the one two seasons ago in Rijeka.
‘It was a tough first 10 minutes when Siroki were right on top of us and we couldn’t get out of our own half. Fortunately, the water break came at a good time for us and we managed to regroup. We started to pass the ball a bit better and started to settle into the game.
‘I always thought it would be a game where we would need to show a lot of patience, similar to Croatia, and we also needed to be clinical, which we were. We created two fantastic chances and Greg and Gary dispatched them brilliantly.’
Celtic loanee Christie was superb with his two vital assists and looks set to be a big part of Aberdeen’s hopes and ambitions this season.
Considine added: ‘Ryan brings a lot of creativity and that’s clear to see. He’s also a ball carrier which we had in both Jonny Hayes and Niall McGinn last season. Gary Mackay-Steven will also do that job for us.
‘When we went two goals up we needed someone to take the ball down the line and Ryan was the man for that as, technically, with his feet, he’s out of this world, he’s fantastic.
‘Ryan and Greg have been fantastic for us since they came in and they were asked to do big jobs on Thursday night as the Siroki wing-backs were going up and down their flanks the whole game. Even though they will be tired, they can feel great about themselves as they were fantastic.’
Considine took pride in seeing Aberdeen carry the flag for Scottish football after the depressing early exits of the other two Europa League representatives.
He said: ‘It was important for the whole of Scottish football that we managed to get through, there’s no doubt about that.
‘But we also had something to prove to ourselves as a team. In the first leg against Siroki at Pittodrie, we didn’t show just how good a team we can be. However, we managed to get the job done which is brilliant.’