THANKS FOR THE SECOND SHOT
Grateful Hoban ready to repay Dons for standing by him after injury blow
IF anyone can empathise with supporters denied their regular fix of football in the flesh it’s Aberdeen’s Tommie Hoban.
After all, he’s spent a frustrating three years fighting his way back to a place where he’s only just fit enough to play the game.
For the 300 lucky-draw winners out of 9,000 Dons season-ticket holders, Saturday’s visit of Kilmarnock was the end of a six-month exile since the 3-1 win against Hibs at Pittodrie in March.
For defender Hoban, it was the latest assured step towards what he is hoping will be a sustained recovery from shoulder and cruciate ligament injuries that have limited him to just 13 games since April 2017.
A loan spell with Aberdeen was followed by a major blow when parent club Watford refused to extend his contract for the period a lengthy recuperation required.
It seemed an especially heartless decision considering the money swirling around the English Premier League, and Derek McInnes felt a moral obligation to help with his rehabilitation.
That extended to a short-term contract until January — and the form Hoban has shown in the manager’s recent switch to a back three will surely bring something longer term.
On Saturday he formed a solid unit alongside Scott McKenna and Andrew Considine that Kilmarnock were unable to breach, despite enjoying occasional spells of intense pressure.
In all, Aberdeen have conceded just one goal during what is their first five-game winning streak in five years.
That resilience was matched by joy at the other end when the impressive Ross McCrorie’s first goal since joining from Rangers clinched all three points.
It was the perfect send-off for Thursday night’s Europa League qualifier against Viking in Stavanger, with a resurgent Hoban hoping to make his first appearance in the competition since the extra-time defeat at Burnley two years ago.
‘I have made no secret of how grateful I am to the club for giving me this opportunity,’ said the 26-year-old.
‘If something does come up (a further extension to his contract), we’ll see what happens but it’s just been great to be back playing.
‘Last year was a very uncertain one for me but I’m just delighted to be back as part of the Aberdeen team.
‘I still feel that my own performances will improve with the more games I get but the more games I play, the more I train, the fitter I’ll get and I’ll be able to adapt.’
Hoban admits playing one game a week would be the ideal scenario as he continues his recovery but Thursday’s trip to Norway is in his sights.
‘We’ve got a lot of big games coming up and I want to be available for all of them,’ he said. ‘I’m certainly available for Thursday. I don’t know what team the manager will pick as we have a very competitive squad and he could probably pick three or four teams to go out and win the game.’
That much was evident from a glance at the Aberdeen bench on Saturday, with Curtis Main, Funso Ojo and Connor McLennan remaining seated all afternoon.
Top scorer Sam Cosgrove, Scotland international Mikey Devlin and on-loan Leeds United striker Ryan Edmondson are still out injured while £800,000 signing Ronald Hernandez wasn’t even stripped.
It’s the strongest squad outwith the Old Firm and Kilmarnock struggled not only to break down their defence but also to cope with the flair and pace of the Dons attack at times. Yes, there was only one goal to show for it but it was definitely one to savour, Marley Watkins sending Scott Wright clear to provide the cross before McCrorie guided the ball home with his left foot.
The strident applause from 300 Dons fans was in stark contrast to the reaction to his last goal for Rangers, which rescued a point for the Ibrox side at Pittodrie in May 2018.
Hoban, for one, appreciated the response from the supporters. ‘Everyone is really desperate for the fans to come back,’ he said. ‘They give us that 12th man and, even having 300 here, it felt different.
‘We were aware they were there, even if they couldn’t sing, but even the applause for the goal was nice. We’re all looking forward to getting more fans back in and, hopefully, sooner rather than later.’
It remains to be seen if the Scottish Government — who announced that the return of fans has now been postponed until at least October 5 — will agree to a plan to allow 750 into Sunday’s match against Motherwell.
But, for now, Aberdeen’s focus is on Europa League qualification. First up it’s a Viking side who warmed-up with a 5-3 win away to Kristiansund on Saturday, backing up manager McInnes’ theory that they are stronger going forward than defending.
Win there and it’s a trip to play Sporting Lisbon where Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and Villarreal are the only visiting teams to have won in recent years.
Not that Hoban is daunted. ‘If we should win on Thursday, going to Lisbon will be incredible,’ he said. ‘And there is no reason why we can’t get two wins and be just one game away from reaching the group stages.
‘We’re focusing on the Norwegian game first and we know Viking will be very tough opponents. Obviously if we get through it’s going to be another hard game in Portugal but anything can happen over 90 minutes.
‘There is a lot more to come from us but if we can keep a solid platform at the back and bring it into the league and Europe, hopefully we can be successful in both competitions.’
For Killie, it’s the more prosaic matter of a home game against Hamilton Accies next Saturday, but just as important given their position joint bottom of the Premiership.
Central defenders Kirk Broadfoot and Clevid Dikamona should have recovered in time from the injuries that forced them off at Pittodrie on Saturday but it’s up front where Alex Dyer’s side need to be a lot sharper.
ABERDEEN (3-4-3): Lewis 6; Hoban 7, McKenna 8, Considine 7; Kennedy 6 (Logan 77), Ferguson 6, McCrorie 7 (McGeouch 81), Hayes 6; Hedges 6 (McGinn 81), Watkins 6, Wright 7 (Taylor 87). Subs not used: Cerny, Ojo, McLennan, Main, Anderson. Booked: None
KILMARNOCK (4-4-2): Rogers 7; Millen 6, Broadfoot 5 (Dikamona 46) (Rossi 90), Findlay 6 Waters 6 (Whitehall 78); Burke 6 (McKenzie 65), Dicker 6, Tshibola 6, Kiltie 7; Brophy 5 ( Pinnock 65), Kabamba 5. Subs not used: Doyle, Gray, McGowan, Haunstrup,
Cameron. Booked: Kabamba. Man of the match: Scott McKenna. Referee: Bobby Madden. Attendance: 300.