Shinnie on hand to boost bid for second
IT didn’t matter how Aberdeen won, it just mattered that they did. With Hibernian failing to win at St Johnstone on Friday night and Rangers losing to Kilmarnock at Ibrox yesterday, this was a chance for the Dons to make moves in the race for second in the Premiership.
They are now two points behind Rangers with a game in hand — and are four points ahead of Hibs. Bar Graeme Shinnie’s 35th-minute opener, the loudest cheer of the afternoon in the Granite City was reserved for the stadium announcer announcing the score in Govan.
The last week may be looked back on as season-defining for Aberdeen. When they travelled to Kilmarnock on Tuesday night, they were on a run of four winless fixtures. In fact, it was the Rugby Park side who were being tipped as Scottish Cup semi-finalists.
The Reds dug deep to triumph in Ayrshire and they did so again here to overcome Dundee. They’re now 90 minutes away from a second successive Scottish Cup final and the chance to finish second in the Premiership for a fourth successive campaign is back in their own hands.
Steve Clarke may be performing miracles at Killie, but Aberdeen fans can thank him too for his part yesterday.
Dundee, on the other hand, are in a desperate position. They have only one win in their last seven matches and are just three points above Partick Thistle, in the relegation play-off spot.
One silver lining is that they are six points clear of bottom-placed Ross County, whose run of form is even worse than that of the Tayside club. However, with Hearts, Celtic and Rangers all to play before the split, things do not get any easier for Neil McCann and his players.
It was putrid stuff at Pittodrie, bereft of quality and played in a piercing wind from the North Sea.
Derek McInnes has lamented his side’s playing surface on several occasions recently and it was not difficult to see why. The ball bobbled continuously and anyone making a sharp pass which didn’t slalom all over the place on its way to its target became an immediate contender for man of the match.
Dundee, on the back of last week’s embarrassing 4-0 defeat at home to St Johnstone started brightly. Kevin Holt’s half volley from 20 yards was comfortably held by Freddie Woodman and Roarie Deacon’s similar effort from the same range drifted wide of the target.
Aberdeen should have gone ahead after 22 minutes. Niall McGinn’s cross wasn’t dealt with by Josh Meekings, who only diverted it into the path of the onrushing Shay Logan. His effort appeared to be inadvertently blocked on the line by Kenny McLean, but in truth it looked to be missing the target and it was a poor attempt by the right-back.
At the other end, AJ Leitch-Smith passed up a glorious chance to put the visitors ahead. Anthony O’Connor and Scott McKenna tried to play the striker offside when Darren O’Dea punted the ball long, but they misjudged their timing and allowed the forward in. Woodman was alert, coming out and spreading himself well to turn the ball wide with his left foot.
A nondescript Deacon free-kick from deep, which was really a cross, bounced off Woodman’s bar, with the goalkeeper being confident enough to let it sail over.
Logan, under the attentions of Holt, nipped the ball back to Ryan Christie on the right wing. He turned inside, picking out McGinn with his cross. Elliot Parish came to collect the tame in-swinger but inexplicably spilled the ball to the feet of Shinnie, who had earlier collected his 15th booking of the season. He steadied himself, the ball was bouncing erratically on the atrocious surface, before lashing it into the open goal.
McLean then shot over from 20 yards as the Dons looked to nab a second before the break.
McGinn’s half volley failed to test Parish moments after the restart, but the hosts continued in the same vein.
It was Christie’s turn to have a go after 52 minutes. His effort was heading wide but Stevie May stuck his boot out to try and flick it past Parish, but he didn’t make enough contact and the keeper gathered.
Chidi Nwakali, the Manchester City loanee, has a video of him scoring a screamer for IK Start in Norway at the top of his Twitter page and he tried to repeat the feat here. Parish scrambled across to push away the trundling 30-yard effort, but he only cleared it as far as Christie. However, the goalkeeper leaped to his feet and stopped an inevitable goal by blocking the on-loan Celtic winger’s strike from a handful of yards.
May, having arrived for £400,000 from Preston North End, is having a poor season. A goal return of four from 25 appearances is not good enough and when Christie slipped him in, he merely prodded the ball straight at Parish.
He did have the ball in the net with seven minutes to play, but the goal was ruled out because the striker shoved over Holt.
Dundee’s lack of threat meant the Dons could see the remainder of the game out with ease.