Dons are still best of rest, says Reynolds

MARK REYNOLDS says Aberdeen will brush off their European heartache to again emerge as the closest threat to Celtic’s Premiership title ambitions.

The Dons have finished runnersup to the Parkhead club in the past three seasons and despite losing five key members of the squad that also got the club to two cup finals last term, Reynolds believes Derek McInnes’s side are capable of at least matching the standards of previous campaigns.

Unbowed by the club’s Europa League exit to Apollon Limassol in midweek, the defender insists the Dons have what it takes to fend off the challenge from Rangers and the two Edinburgh sides.

‘It’s disappointing to go out the way we have, but we’ve had a good European campaign and still

regard ourselves as Celtic’s biggest challengers,’ said Reynolds ahead of today’s league opener against Hamilton Accies. ‘We will go into the league feeling confident. We’ve lost a few players but I think we have shown in these European games that we have recruited well.’

Reynolds admits defeat in Cyprus hit harder than any previous European blow he’s had to absorb.

For the fourth successive season, Aberdeen departed at the third qualifying round of the Europa League but while Reynolds saw no shame in losing to Real Sociedad, Kairat Almaty and Maribor, Thursday’s 2-0 defeat to Apollon was laced with a deep sense of underachievement.

‘It’s disappointing, sore and still raw,’ he reflected. ‘No disrespect to Limassol but any time we have gone out it’s been against a bigger team.

‘Don’t get me wrong, Apollon were decent. But they were beatable.’