DONS COME MOAN TO A GAME
THERE can’t be many clubs around the country whose fans are unhappy with a 2-0 away win.
Welcome to the unforgiving world of the Aberdeen player.
No one needs to tell Andy Considine just how difficult it is to please Dons supporters after his 15 years at Pittodrie.
His ability to deal with that pressure of expectation is why he’s lasted at the club for so long.
The big defender knows the Dons’ performance at Livingston was far from easy on the eye for the 1500 travelling punters.
Considine, like every one of them, wants Derek McInnes’ side to play better football.
He understands why, for large parts of the game while they were 1-0 up, the away support moaned and groaned about style.
But when your side is decimated by injuries and you turn up at Livi’s dry pitch on a roasting hot day the result is all that matters.
Given that it put Aberdeen third top in the Premiership, Considine wasn’t complaining at full-time.
The 32-year-old notched a crucial first-half opener in West Lothian before striker Sam Cosgrove sealed the points with a late penalty.
When asked about the supporters’ frustrations Considine said: “I’ve been in this game long enough.
“You grow a thick skin, block it out and stick to the game plan and I felt we did that.
“It wasn’t pretty but we got the job done. We got the second goal when Livingston gambled, throwing men forward, and Sam got in for the penalty.
“I can’t say that was the icing on the cake but it was certainly a breath of fresh air for us because we got peppered all game.
“Listen, we ground it out. You get half a dozen of those in a season. It was a smash and grab if I’m honest.
“We’ll take it because it’s a results business and it puts us third in the league which is great.
“That’s probably the only positive we’ll take from it.
“Teams like Rangers and Celtic maybe come here and try to play football but that’s what Livingston want you to do.
“They’re great at turning the ball over but our manager didn’t want that. He wanted us to play between their full-back and centre-half, play into the corner, but we struggled with Supporters might not like what they see but Considine is adamant results are all that matter on days like these that. It would have been nice to play a bit better and have a little more control of the game.
“We knew how tough it would be and we managed to steal a result because they had plenty of chances.”
Considine expects another war of attrition at Tynecastle against Hearts on Wednesday night in the Betfred Cup quarter-final.
It’s part of a huge double header for McInnes’ men with Rangers up next at Ibrox in the league.
Despite missing key men like Scott McKenna, Craig Bryson and Funso Ojo, Considine expects them to come through it, especially if top scorer
Cosgrove is fit and on form. He said: “It’s a massive week for us. You get weeks in the campaign you feel are season defining.
“We’re a team that’s been in semi-finals and finals – and we want to do it again.
“It’s a big game on Wednesday and Sunday will take care of itself.
“I expect the same kind of game against Hearts as we got at Livingston. That’s their style of play and we’ll need to stand up to it.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to play a bit more football on grass. It’s a tough place to go but we need a result.
“We’re struggling for numbers and experience right now but big Sam is massive for us. He’s been brilliant.
“He helped us when he came on here and if he plays at Tynecastle it will be massive for us.”
Considine’s stabbed finish on the half-hour mark was Aberdeen’s only effort on target in the first half.
He made Gary Holt’s side pay for squandering two gilt-edged chances when one on one with Dons keeper Joe Lewis.
Scott Robinson was thwarted at close range then Chris Erskine shot over when he should have scored.
After the break the Dons were camped in for long spells, as Livi tried to find an equaliser. Lewis was rooted to the spot when Jon Guthrie’s shot flew past him, only to hit the bar and post before being cleared to safety.
Aberdeen gaffer McInnes spent five years as a player under Walter Smith at Rangers and the Ibrox boss was renowned for wins like this.
McInnes showed he’s learned well and the victory was sealed with Cosgrove’s spot-kick in injury time. After coming on as a sub the striker burst clear and was upended in the box by Keaghan Jacobs.
Cosgrove converted and made sure that despite their groans the Dons fans went up the road with a victory.