May feels no burden as he targets goals
Stevie May’s first season with aberdeen was more miss than hit, delivering just five goals in 34 appearances following his £400,000 move from Preston North end.
But the striker insists he is not burdened by his poor goal return or the bumper fee the Dons paid to secure his services. this season has started in promising fashion for the former st Johnstone player and he claimed his first goal of the season in last week’s 4-0 Betfred Cup win over st Mirren.
aberdeen manager Derek Mcinnes sanctioned the largest transfer fee of his time at Pittodrie to be reunited with a player whose career he first guided when May was a teenager in Perth.
May said: ‘i didn’t think about transfer fees or anything like that. it wasn’t something that bothered me.
‘that’s for supporters to talk about. i’m here to do a job and i just want to get on with scoring goals.
‘as far as i saw it, last season was done and i wasn’t thinking about that any more.
‘the st Mirren game was really the second game of the season for me, so it was good to get off the mark. Hopefully, i can keep it going and go on a run of goals now.’
that is exactly what Mcinnes is confident will happen and why he was happy to allow adam Rooney, aberdeen’s most reliable goalscorer in the last two decades, to leave for salford City last month.
the addition of the highly rated James Wilson on loan from Manchester United should help and now that he is fit again, the pair are expected to link up for the first time at easter Road this afternoon.
Of course Mcinnes is well aware of what May can do and recently claimed he needs to become more selfish to become more prolific.
the player goes along with the simplicity of the solution as he said: ‘How do i become more selfish? Just shoot!
‘the manager spoke to me about it. He wants me to get back to shooting on sight.
‘as a striker, you are judged on goals but when the goals are not coming you maybe try to do more for the team to be involved. But that takes you further away from the goal, so you have to get back to playing centrally and hurting teams.
‘shooting from various positions and playing on that instinct served me well when i was younger, so i need to get back to that. i need to just have a pop at goal and become that selfish player again.
‘i’m sure things will click for me again. i still feel the same player and i’m confident i can get back to scoring regularly.
‘My aim this season is to score as many as i can and, hopefully, help the team to success in the league and the cups.’
Hibs will be significant opponents to both of those objectives in the short term. Following today’s Premiership meeting, the Dons face a return to easter Road for next month’s Betfred Cup quarter-final.
May expects to come up against a familiar face in those games now that Neil Lennon has signed irish winger Daryl Horgan, someone he rates highly from their time together in Lancashire.
‘i played with Daryl at Preston,’ said May. ‘He was there for six months when i was there. He is a very good player. When Hibs signed him, i thought it was a bit of a coup for them.
‘He is tricky, can play with both feet and i’m sure he will become a good signing for them. i didn’t speak to him about moving to scotland but i’ll catch up with him this weekend.’