PLUG ME INTO THE MAIN
New boy Curtis can turn Dons fans on with goals
Curtis Main is adamant he can be Aberdeen’s top gun and shoot down the critics who have questioned his signing.
The striker knocked back Hearts when he left Motherwell for Pittodrie.
But not all of the Red Army have welcomed him, pointing to the fact he only scored six goals for Well last term.
Main though is confident that he can win them over after making his bow in yesterday’s friendly stalemate with Connah’s Quay Nomads.
He said: “I certainly don’t feel that I am out of my depth joining Aberdeen.
“I feel like I belong in an environment like this – and will show that when the action starts.
“The manager knows what I’m capable of and these games are definitely a chance to reinforce what he already knows and show that I’m fit, hungry and ready to start the season.
“I earned the chance to come here with my performances. I feel I’ve put myself in the position to take the next step and now I can kick on again.”
The 27-year- old also feels he was unfairly judged last season because he sacrificed personal glory to help the likes of David Turnbull and Jake Hastie come to the fore.
The Englishman said: “The team struggled for the first six months last season and at Christmas we changed formation and left me as the sole striker.
“I was more isolated but it was successful for the team. A lot of people, like David Turnbull, benefited from my role in the team.
“It did affect my goalscoring but the team went on a run, so I just got on with it. I probably sacrificed myself for the team but it helped Well turn the corner.
“We were looking down but within a few weeks of the change we were on the up and winning games.
“That’s in the past and now I’m looking forward as that is not how I am going to be playing at Aberdeen. I’m excited at how and where I’m going to fit in here.”
While Main is full of confidence in his own ability, he believes his exceptional first season at Fir Park helped convince Derek McInnes that he was worth a gamble. The all-action frontman caused Dons plenty of problems in their clashes, including scoring twice against them as Well knocked them out in the 2018 Scottish Cup semi-final. Now he would loved to make amends by scoring on the big stage for the Reds. He said: “That semi-final was a big game to play in but hopefully now that I’m here I can play in many more of them and be on the winning side. “It was definitely up there in the best moments of my career. It was an enjoyable day, reaching the final and scoring two goals is something I will remember. “Now that I’m here I want more of those experiences.” Ma in got h i s first experience of pulling on a red jersey in yesterday’s 0-0 draw with Welsh side Nomads in Cork. He failed to get on the goal trail after coming on as a sub but is confident he can take a lot of the burden off the shoulders of last year’s top scorer Sam Cosgrove.
The former Portsmouth striker believes he can form a top partnership with his fellow Englishman.
He added: “I am sure that is in the manager’s thought process.
“If we can strike up a partnership and gel together like people hope we can then it will be dangerous to opponents and it is certainly something we are working on in pre-season.
“We will give defences a tough run but it is still early days and we are still working on each other’s games. I need to learn how Sam plays and how the team plays – that will come in time.
“I’ve little doubt that if we play together we can definitely strike a formidable partnership and I’m looking forward to that.”
Main will get the chance to get more minutes under his belt when Aberdeen travel to Peterhead and then face Inverness at Elgin on Saturday.
Then the Dons can turn their attention to the Europa League clash with RoPS on July 11.
Main said: “European fixtures don’t come along all the time so I’m glad that’s on the horizon.
“I have joined Aberdeen because they should be competing for trophies and I would like to be part of it.”
“All in all I want to succeed in whatever we do.
“It was definitely an attractive part of what was on offer. You want to be part of those things as a player. I’m here to win trophies.
“The cups are a big incentive and winning silverware will be a key part of the season.
“That’s one of the reasons that I joined the club. I’m hungry for success.
“We’ve just come back after the summer break but we have got a lot of hard work in the bank already.
“Games are key so it was good to get a good run out today.”