Bold Dons do more damage in Dingwall
THEY may have a gleaming new stadium and training complex in the pipeline, but Aberdeen rarely seem more at home than when they step out in Dingwall.
This defeat of Owen Coyle’s relegationthreatened side made it five wins from the last seven trips to the Global Energy Stadium for the Dons.
Two goals apiece from Adam Rooney and Kenny McLean, including three in a six-minute first-half spree, did the damage.
Credit to County for not throwing in the towel at least, restoring pride with two late Alex Schalk goals. But victory took the Dons back into second place in the table, three points above rivals Rangers.
County, after four straight defeats since returning from the winter break and 13 games without a win, remain six points adrift at the bottom of the table.
With Joe Lewis out for three months, young Danny Rogers retained the No 1 jersey after his debut for the Dons against Kilmarnock last Saturday. Ryan Christie, County’s old foe from Inverness days, returned from injury to replace Dominic Ball, while Scott McKenna was favoured over Anthony O’Connor in the heart of the Aberdeen defence.
Coyle (right) made five changes from the County side that lost to Rangers last Sunday, two of those enforced.
Injured Chris Routis and ill Jim O’Brien dropped out along with keeper Aaron McCarey, Kenny van der Weg and Michael Gardyne.
In came Scott Fox, Tim Chow and fit-again Chris Eagles, with Inih Effiong and Liam Fontaine, the latter signed from Hibs earlier in the day, also starting.
County’s new-look defence made a solid enough start, with on-loan pair Fontaine and Stoke City’s Harry Souttar looking comfortable together.
The hosts threatened first after nine minutes with Eagles, fed by Ross Draper, poking a 20-yard shot just wide of target.
A minute later, Souttar met a Davis Keillor-Dunn corner with a downward header saved on the deck by Rogers and hacked clear.
The Dons began to ask questions as a stray Draper pass allowed Gary Mackay-Steven to strike a deflected shot for a corner.
Alarm bells sounded for County after 14 minutes when an Andrew Considine cross from the left spun into Niall McGinn’s path in the centre of the box, only for the Irishman to take a fresh-air swipe.
The Dons’ breakthrough came as Souttar chose to leave a high ball, which had been hoisted into the penalty area, rather than head clear. Christie retrieved the ball before whipping it in to McLean, whose thumping 20-yard shot deflected high off Fontaine’s boot.
Keeper Fox’s valiant dive came just too late to prevent the ball squirming over the line.
Aberdeen soon doubled their lead as Christie burst into the box and was tripped by Chow, leaving referee Andrew Dallas little choice but to point to the spot.
Rooney sent Fox the wrong way with the penalty kick for his eighth goal of the season. The ninth was only two minutes away.
This time, McGinn made space on the left and the pace on his cross was perfect for Rooney to stride in and smack a neat volley past Fox. County had a half-chance just before the break but Eagles hoisted a 20-yard shot well over the bar. Coyle’s two half-time substitutions were telling, with Eagles and Effiong hooked for Gardyne and Ryan Dow. A scrappy spell, broken by petty fouls, followed towards the hour mark. The lull served as encouragement to Coyle’s team, who began to threaten but those tiny sparks of hope for the home side vanished after 64 minutes. Fox was guilty of a calamitous error against Rangers back in August when he dallied on the ball and was punished by Alfredo Morelos. It was Groundhog Day for the County keeper as he miscontrolled a back-pass and was caught and punished by McLean for his second of the evening and Aberdeen’s fourth.
It was all done bar the shouting, before Schalk flicked a neat finish over the head of Rogers for a County consolation on 76 minutes.
Seven minutes later, Schalk collected a ball over the top and slipped a shot under Rogers to cut the lead to only two.
It seemed a distortion of what had gone before, but Aberdeen only had themselves to blame as some complacency at the back was punished.
Graeme Shinnie’s rage at Shay Logan said it all. But the damage had been done for County.