BACK IN BUSINESS
McInnes praise for new recruit as Dons make it two wins on trot
DEREK McINNES hailed the impact of Marley Watkins as Aberdeen claimed their second victory in four days to move up to seventh place in the Premiership table.
Signed on loan from Bristol City last week, the former Inverness striker (right) didn’t score on his Dons debut against Livingston but did enough to suggest he’ll adequately fill the void left by untimely injuries to Sam Cosgrove and Ryan Edmondson.
Predicting that the 29-year-old can have a major impact at the club between now and January, McInnes said: ‘In the
IN these turbulent times for Aberdeen, Lewis Ferguson’s reputation as the most redoubtable of characters has only been enhanced.
With his side largely second best throughout a forgettable first half, the midfielder imposed his iron will on this contest and turned it in their favour.
Within four minutes, he’d won and converted a penalty which changed the course of the game. Within a further 120 seconds, he put his body on the line at the other end to deny Jack McMillan a certain equaliser.
Ferguson seemed to be everywhere that Derek McInnes needed him to be thereafter, doing the ugly side of the game as well as the flashy stuff.
He finished the match playing as an auxiliary striker and you just know that he’d have done a sterling job wherever his manager asked him to play.
You simply could not understate the value of the three points his efforts largely got his side here.
With the SFA disciplinary hearing on Friday potentially denying McInnes eight players for anything between two and eight games as a consequence of their recent folly, this felt like an extremely big win for the Pittodrie side.
Despite the storm clouds that have hung over the club since news of that illadvised group visit to a city restaurant emerged, the manager and his players are due no little credit for winning back-to-back league games for the first time since November.
The better side in the first half, Livingston simply gave themselves too much to do after failing to show up in the opening moments of the second period.
Scott Wright claimed a superb second for the Dons six minutes after Ferguson’s intervention.
Scott Pittman made a game of it by halving the arrears from close range with 21 minutes to go but the Dons had sufficient character to see the game out.
They will now approach their opening Europa League qualifier with NSI Runavik of the Faroe Islands on Thursday in good spirits.
McInnes drafted Scott McKenna and Bruce Anderson back into his squad for the first time since news of that inappropriate night out became public knowledge.
There was no sign of Niall McGinn at all, meaning Marley Watkins was ushered in for his first start after signing on loan from Bristol City. Curtis Main also returned to the bench after a spell out injured and came on late on.
With Anthony Stokes’ clearance not coming through in time for him to play a part, life without Lyndon Dykes began for Livingston with Scott Robinson in an unaccustomed forward role.
Despite their traditionally poor record on the road, Livingston were the sharper side from the outset. Jason Holt’s probing pass held up perfectly for the pacy Alan Forrest. Just before the winger could pull the trigger ten yards out, Shay Logan’s sumptuous slide tackle saved the day.
There was plenty early endeavour from both camps but no one capable of injecting much quality.
Jonny Hayes attempted to cut through the yellow wall that constituted the visiting defence with a meaty strike from the edge of the box, which would have worked Robby McCrorie had it not caught Jack Fitzwater’s outstretched knee.
Clear openings for the Dons proved hard to come by initially. Matty Kennedy created one when he beat Nicky Devlin for pace down the left and whipped in a low cross. Ferguson ought to have done better than caress a low shot into McCrorie’s arms from 12 yards.
The Livingston keeper’s twin brother Ross, making his home debut in Aberdeen colours, was seeing rather more of the early action.
Devlin pinched the ball off the toe of Kennedy, burst into the box and had the composure to look up and square it to Robinson. The makeshift striker’s initial shot was saved by Joe Lewis, with Craig Sibbald’s follow-up deflected wide.
The first half concluded with some paperwork for referee Steven McLean — clear bookings for Sibbald and Devlin for tripping Ferguson and Kennedy, respectively.
That McInnes made a change at the break was not that surprising. That it was McKenna making way for Funso Ojo was not expected, the assumption being the defender had to be injured.
In any event, the break the Dons had craved so badly duly arrived. Kennedy’s probing ball into the box was cleverly ignored by Watkins. Ferguson was able to reach it just before Sibbald with the unfortunate contact made by the Livvy midfielder giving the referee no decision to make.
Ferguson despatched the spot-kick in some style, powerfully placing the ball high to the left of McCrorie.
Livingston, commendably, came back out swinging. First, Ash Taylor produced another excellent sliding block on Sibbald.
McMillan then looked certain to convert after a scramble in the Dons’ box. Ferguson’s tackle had to be perfect and was.
The Dons’ second, on 55 minutes, was a textbook lesson in crisp passing and movement. The interplay between Ryan Hedges and Wright was a joy to watch, the ball pinging between them three times before the latter picked his spot in the corner.
Robbie McCrorie had been blameless at both goals and kept his side alive in the contest with a superb save to deny Watkins’ header, the cross having come from Hayes.
The value of that intervention was demonstrated when Pittman halved the deficit in the 69th minute, the midfielder popping up unmarked at the back post to meet Fitzwater’s cross.
At least Gary Holt didn’t leave the Granite City wondering what if. He threw on four substitutes within 60 seconds in search of the
goal which would yield a point. When Logan landed on the ball after tangling with Lewis, Livingston to a man screamed for a penalty, citing handball. But this was not to be their day. For Aberdeen, the six points taken in a four-day spell may prove to be extremely important as a difficult September looms.