HAVE NO FEAR

Fergie believes Dons are now a match for Celts

SIR ALEX FERGUSON has given former club Aberdeen a confidence boost by insisting they have nothing to fear ahead of their title showdown at Celtic Park tomorrow.

And the legendary boss, who made a habit of conquering the Old Firm in Glasgow, believes the Dons have what it takes to go level in the table with the Premiership leaders.

Ferguson, in a Sky Sports interview to be broadcast in full during tomorrow’s build-up, said: ‘It will be close. Celtic have the more experience and a fantastic history and they have some good goalscorers in their team.

‘It will be difficult for Aberdeen, but Derek McInnes has done a fantastic job up there, he really has. It’s been a few years since they have been in a position like they are in now.

‘All credit to the manager, he has done a really good job. I don’t think they will be afraid going to Celtic Park.’

McInnes was, of course, grateful to receive a personal vote of confidence from the living legend and believes the greatest manager in Aberdeen

ASK A s ample of Aberdeen supporters which game was t he most significant in their club’s history and almost unanimously the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup Fi nal victory over Real Madrid will be returned as the answer.

Truly the moment when Alex Ferguson’s name became renowned throughout Europe, the 2- 1 triumph over the Spanish giants in Gothenburg was a game for the ages.

Yet, while the unforgettable scenes inside a drenched Ullevi Stadium that fabled night were the unrivalled pinnacle of the club’s golden era, it goes without saying that the ascent to the top of the European game was arduous in the extreme. It also had to have a starting point.

For Aberdeen to stand any chance of succeeding in Europe, they first had to succeed in Scotland. And, as Ferguson constantly preached to the Dons dressing room he inherited in 1978, for that to happen, they first had to learn how to win in Glasgow.

In his first season at Pittodrie, his side failed to make that breakthrough — gaining draws at Parkhead and Ibrox but also losing a game at each ground. They finished fourth.

The following season, with Rangers destined to finish a distant fifth, the importance of crossing the rubicon at Celtic Park could not be overstated.

By dint of a fixture schedule that saw them visit Glasgow’s east end on league business on both April 5 and 23, their destiny would be shaped in short order.

The upshot — a 2-1 victory courtesy of Mark McGhee and Drew Jarvie followed by a 3-1 triumph thanks to Gordon Strachan, McGhee and Steve Archibald — proved to be huge down payments on the club’s title triumph the following month.

For Stuart Kennedy, a veteran of those two wins and the many triumphs that came after, the significance of Fergie’s team leaving Parkhead twice victorious was colossal.

‘That was the benchmark for the future of Aberdeen,’ the 61-year-old told Sportsmail.

‘ Those two wins i n that month — that was it. It was the foundation of that club.

‘I would say those were the biggest i n the history of Aberdeen Football Club.

‘OK, we beat Real Madrid later on, but we would not have done that if we didn’t have the mentality, ability and determination to win those two games.

‘After that, we knew we had the players with the mentality to win these big games — plus the ability, of course. The majority of that team were still there when we played Real Madrid three years later.’

It was like a key turning in a door. Sure, the Dons had enjoyed sporadic success in Glasgow — they drew 2-2 at Celtic Park in season 1976-77 and won 3- 0 at Ibrox the following term — but only by repeatedly defeating t he Glasgow gi ants c ould a justifiable sense of superiority be fostered.

‘Winning in Glasgow had to become a habit,’ said Kennedy. ‘To be fair, Billy McNeill and Ally MacLeod had decent records against the Old Firm. Rangers won the Treble in 1978, even though we beat t hem t hree t i mes in t he league.

‘We still had a good nucleus of players back then but Fergie’s edge and determination took it to the next stage. I’m sure he knows himself that he had some real characters in his team. Big style.’

THEY were no strangers to a small slice of good fortune, too. Just as McNeill’s men were planning revenge for the first home loss against the Dons, they hit an iceberg.

‘In between the games, Celtic l ost 5- 1 at Dundee, which helped us enormously,’ said Kennedy.

‘That gave us the encouragement we needed and must have deflated them.

‘But they were anything but easy games. It was Celtic at Celtic Park. Your main rivals for the league.

‘Celtic had a good team then — a lot of talented players. But we went into the first game with confidence and even more so going into the second one.’

Ferguson was not a man to blind his players with science. Each and every one of them took the field for the matches convinced by his analysis that, if they played to the best of their ability, there could only be one winner.

‘We had a habit of imposing ourselves on the game from the very first whistle,’ said Kennedy.

‘Big Doug Rougvie used to enjoy that. Our back f our were all pretty determined characters, but there wasn’t much in the midfield.

‘ But what Fergie always pointed out to us was our forwards against their back four. he told us we would create more chances than them — we just had to take them.

‘McGhee, Archibald and (Ian) Scanlon up against their back four... that was crucial for us.

‘Even though the scores were quite close, we actually won them with a bit of authority. We were extremely confident.’

Fast forward 35 years and even the distant prospect of seeing history repeat itself has t he Granite City on tenterhooks.

In the event of a Dons win this Sunday, Celtic would still have a game in hand with which to re- establish their three-point lead.

But Kennedy believes the kind of confidence jolt Derek McInnes’ men would take from a triumph would be almost immeasurable.

‘It’s a mental thing,’ he said. ‘You’ve got to have the ability, but you must have that mental toughness and determination.

‘We know they can play but the manager has got to look at his players and know they produce that mental toughness.

‘They have shown they have what it takes. They won the League Cup Final at Celtic Park against Inverness last year and also knocked Celtic out of the Scottish Cup. Even though it was 2-1 that day, they totally outplayed them.

‘They know they have the ability but, in certain times in games when it doesn’t go for you, you must stand up. You will always get an awkward period when you need to rally round. That is when you need other abilities to get a result.

‘I think they will have to go there and win to have any chance of winning the league as Celtic have a game in hand.

‘If they win, it will do a lot for them. They are on a good run of form and, if they were to win, it would really get the momentum going. That would give Celtic something to think about.

‘Everyone has got the league as Celtic’s just now but, if Aberdeen win tomorrow, it is game on.’