The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
We need to build after midweek win – Glass
Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass has called for a repeat performance from his side as they look to build on their first win in four matches.
The Dons snapped a three-game losing run with a 2-0 victory against Livingston at Pittodrie on Wednesday.
The win moves Aberdeen up to seventh in the Premiership, level with sixth-placed Hibernian, and Glass is eager to continue the upwards trend by picking up another three points when St Mirren visit Pittodrie tomorrow.
The Dons boss said: “We were aiming to take six points this week and we’ve taken three. Now we are looking to finish it off.
“We’ve got a group of hungry boys. They put demands on themselves. They could have been better but we didn’t let the lead slip. It was pleasing to get the win and the clean sheet.
“We know what’s there for us if we can go and win games. I know what’s there if we don’t too. We are aiming above us and trying to win matches. We’ve got St Mirren here on Saturday and we’ll be looking to take another three points.”
The Pittodrie win was just the fifth in 16 matches in the league this term but Glass believes there is cause for optimism and* insists his players should take confidence from their assured display in a onesided victory against Livi in midweek.
He said: “We look to be positive and we look to win games. The boys know the pressures that come with playing for Aberdeen and they know everyone is looking for six points from these two home games.
“We’ve done the first part of the job and we will now work on finishing it off at the weekend.
“It’s important that we look at what’s above us, that we be positive and that we look at closing the gap to the next team above us and then that we keep doing that.
“The challenge now is to build on it and it is important we keep it going. We’ll be looking for more of the same at the weekend.
Despite an inconsistent campaign Glass is grateful for the support shown by the fans and wants to repay their backing by leading the team up the table.
“The backing of the fans has never been in question and it was nice to give them something to cheer about. The aim is to do that again on Saturday,” he said.
Winning the game on Wednesday was important but the Dons boss was most pleased about seeing his makeshift defence keep a clean sheet.
With four defenders absent Funso Ojo and Jonny Hayes played as full-backs in the victory and Glass was pleased to see his side’s efforts rewarded during what has been a challenging period.
He said: “We came into the Livingston game looking for a win and clean sheet and that is what we got.
“The injury list that we’ve suffered has shown that you need players who
can play in multiple positions.
“One of the games we played, we had three midfield players at the back which is obviously difficult.
“The players have handled everything that has been thrown at them to be fair.
“We’ve asked people to play in multiple positions and they’ve shown that they can handle it.”
Who would be a manager? Jonny Hayes has begun planning for the transition from player to coach but the veteran says the challenges Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass has faced this season have made him pause for thought.
The former Caley Thistle and Celtic winger set up his side’s second goal in Wednesday’s 2-0 win against Livingston at Pittodrie.
It has been a season where the Dons have been ravaged by defensive injuries and inconsistency, and Hayes joked that it has made him think twice about becoming a coach.
When asked if he had sympathy for his manager Hayes said: “Yes, I am doing my coaching badges.
“They teach you how to deal with a player when he loses possession but I can’t imagine what it is like when you have four players and your whole defence injured at the same time. Look at the injuries, the reshuffling the manager has had to do and the Dundee United game, with all the incidents, seemed to sum it up.
“We went down to 10 men in that game and all the niggles and injuries we have had it doesn’t make you want to become a manager.”
Hayes’s tongue may have been firmly in his cheek but there is no doubt it has been a difficult season so far for the Dons.
Wednesday’s win was the club’s third in the last 17 matches and only their fifth in 16 league games.
A mainstay of the Derek McInnes era where Aberdeen challenged at the top of the table, in Europe and for silverware, Hayes knows there is work to be done to get Aberdeen back where he believes they belong.
He said: “I know the standards that are expected here and the league table hasn’t made for pretty viewing in recent months.
“We just keep our heads down, keep working hard and try to pick up as many points as possible.
“We have set standards at this club. Everybody wants European football and the team to be fighting at the top of the league and fighting for cups.”
Wednesday’s 2-0 win against Livi ended a threegame losing streak for the club and the challenge they now face is recording back-to-back wins when St Mirren visit tomorrow.
He said: “We haven’t won too many games consecutively and so when we win games we need to take confidence from them. Now we just want to try to take that next three points.
“We will come back because we have a good squad.
“We still have a bit of work to do to get there. Look at the Livi game and we got a little bit of a rub of the green with the sending off and that might have gone against us in previous games.”
Two aspects of the Dons were crucial to the midweek win with the defence keeping a rare clean sheet while Ryan Hedges also played a pivotal attacking role.
The Ross McCrorie-David Bates defensive partnership is the only recognised centre-half pairing fit at Pittodrie and Hayes knows the duo and Hedges will be key players in the remaining six matches before the break.
He said: “Ryan is brilliant and pivotal to the way we play. He links defence and attack really well and gets into pockets of space. He is a very good footballer.
“Bates and Ross were also brilliant and I don’t think Livingston had a chance all night. That gave us a solid footing to go and build for the three points.
“It is now important we put a couple of good home performances together.”