Shinnie calls for a strong response
DESPITE a lacklustre performance against Hamilton on Tuesday, Graeme Shinnie insists Aberdeen can get their act together in time for Saturday’s lunchtime showdown against Celtic.
The Pittodrie side’s six-game winning run ended after the 1-0 defeat at New Douglas Park, but Shinnie, the captain on the night, is confident they can get back on track this weekend.
“It brings us back down to earth as we have been on a good run,” Shinnie said. “That counts for nothing. We feel we should be coming down here and winning three points. We haven’t and Hamilton deserve credit for playing well on the night.
“It was very frustrating for us. We had a few chances in the game but I felt we didn’t play to the standard we have been at recently.
“That is very frustrating but we did create chances and could have nicked a draw from the game.
“It is very frustrating whenever you have a setback like this, but there is nothing we can do now. We need to focus on Saturday’s game, as that is a big one for us, and look to win there.”
He added: “Celtic have had a good start but we beat them twice at Pittodrie last season. We can take massive confidence from that and we were on a good run before the Hamilton match.
“As long as we play well on the day, we know we are in with a chance of winning.”
Hamilton captain Mikey Devlin, meanwhile, has backed Willie Collum after the referee’s display in the win over Aberdeen angered the Pittodrie club.
Collum came in for some stick from the visiting support, players and management after awarding a soft penalty to the home side for Anthony O’Connor’s apparent foul on Alex D’Acol.
Their f rustration was compounded when a number of claims for a penalty of their own were turned down. “When you’ve been awarded a penalty then you’re always concerned when they have one claim followed by another and then a third that the referee might give it,” Devlin said.
“I didn’t think any of them were penalties. I haven’t seen them again but I never thought ‘We’ve got away with one there’.”