May day joy keeps Aberdeen on track
IT can take a striker time to fit into his new surroundings after signing for a new club. Especially if said striker has only scored one goal in his last two seasons, having spent over a year on the injury list.
Not Stevie May, however. The 24-year-old made his Aberdeen debut last week at Ross County, and it only took until yesterday’s match against Dundee for him to rediscover his scoring touch.
His double means that Aberdeen have now won their first three Premiership matches and consigned Dundee to their third consecutive league defeat. It is the first time the Dens Park side have lost their opening three games since 1998.
As the referee blew for kick-off, the heavens opened and the rain poured, but it did not deter the home side. Ryan Christie cut in from the right-hand side and laid the ball off to Graeme Shinnie. He was fouled by the backtracking Roarie Deacon and Greg Tansey’s resultant free-kick troubled Scott Bain, the ball slipping out of his soaking palms before he recovered to collect it.
Mark Reynolds then underhit a back-pass to Joe Lewis to give Dundee a rare chance. James Vincent nipped in and drove for goal. Despite having three options to his right — Marcus Haber, Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Deacon, he opted to run straight at Lewis, which allowed the goalkeeper to rush out and pluck the ball from his feet in the eighth minute.
Dundee were made to pay for the spurned opportunity just three minutes later as May opened the scoring. He is already a dream for the marketing staff at Pittodrie following the decision for him to wear the No83 strip, in reference to the year of the club’s success in the European Cup Winners’ Cup. And by scoring his first goal in the 11th minute — May 11 being the date of victory over Real Madrid in the final — the former St Johnstone forward further evoked memories of his new club’s finest hour.
Tansey whipped in the corner which May, who had made a good run to the front post to free himself of his marker, converted with a clever backward header.
The home side were growing in confidence, while Dundee continued to show all the defensive deficiencies which has made them start the season so poorly. Cammy Kerr dithered in possession and Kenny McLean nabbed it from him less than 10 yards from goal. He laid it off to Christie, but the on-loan Celtic player was off-balance and could not get any real power behind his attempted flick to test Bain.
McLean then had a shot from a tight angle turned wide as Aberdeen attacked again.
When he was at St Johnstone, May was renowned for his explosive pace which allowed him to get beyond defenders, but he refrained from doing so when the opportunity arose to make an option for McLean, instead dropping off to collect the ball. May’s shot from 20 yards fizzed wide but his decision to hold off, rather than make a bursting run, indicated that Aberdeen have a different kind of player from when he last played in Scotland.
Dundee were rarely a threat in the first half and Scott Allan incurred the expletive-filled disapproval of his team-mates when he decided to try catch Lewis out with a free-kick from 35 yards rather than swing it in towards the defenders who had ambled forward to take advantage of the set-piece.
Half-time hailstones meant the pitch was slicker than before and it certainly helped Dundee to equalise. Christie squandered possession when he miscued a pass straight to the feet of Deacon. The English winger took his first touch forward, before putting on the afterburners and coasting past Andrew Considine. His finish was low and skimmed across the turf, and through the legs of Lewis.
Aberdeen were rattled and the visitors should have then taken the lead. El Bakhtaoui slipped Deacon in on the inside-right channel, but rather than shoot, he squared the ball to Allan, who dragged his effort wide when it was easier to score.
Dundee’s spell of dominance was short-lived, and they were soon camped inside their own half.
Aberdeen’s Greg Stewart injected some urgency when he was brought on to replace Gary Mackay-Steven, but he overhit his pass to slip in Nicky Maynard, another substitute, which allowed Bain to come off his line and collect. For all their control, the hosts could not penetrate.
But when Dundee briefly went down to nine men after El Bakhtaoui and Haber picked up injuries, the Dons took advantage. Shinnie’s stinging effort was blocked by the stretching Kevin Holt and the ball fell to May. It was bouncing at an awkward height, but he sent it flying past Bain on the half-volley.
The Aberdeen fans chanted jokingly: ‘Who the f*** is Stevie May?’ — what they used to sing when he was a St Johnstone player. They now have their answer.