McInnes upbeat at performance

ABERDEEN boss Derek McInnes remains positive his side can progress to the third round of Europa League qualifying after drawing 1-1 with Bosnian side Siroki Brijeg.

Ryan Christie curled in a strike in the 18th minute but the visitors levelled through Stipo Markovic’s angled 20-yard shot midway through the second half.

Despite t hat setback McInnes remains confident his side can progress in the competition.

He said: “We’re disappointed we’ve not managed to get a win. It’s clear they’re a decent side and they thoroughly deserved the draw.

“I thought we had the better chances in the early part of the game and missed a couple of chances. But there’s no doubting that tactically they were good.

“They filled the central areas and we needed to play in the wider areas a wee bit more.

“Normally we go into the first round and, although it can be challenging, we’ve got through it and used it as part of the preparation to play at this level. It’s clear that we’ve still got a bit to go.

“We’ll go there confident we can bring a better performance but it was clear some of the players weren’t where they need to be. We’ll aim to get a better result next week.”

McInnes remains confident of adding to his squad.

“We’ve had enquires in for several players but we’ll concentrate on what we need to do at the moment. We’re confident we can get a defender in over the next few days.”

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes applauds his players after last night’s 1-1 draw at Pittodrie.