Aberdeen have paid penalty for poorer results

For Aberdeen, the next week will represent a state of suspended animation. Their season is over but its outcome not yet clear, the Dons’ reward dependent upon one final game over which they can have no influence.

There are no complaints. Over the season it has been Kilmarnock and not Aberdeen who have deserved a top three finish and guaranteed European football. It is Kilmarnock who have had fewer poor results and more great ones, it is Kilmarnock who have maximised their potential. It is Kilmarnock who, with their fate in their own hands, have carried it securely over the line, albeit courtesy of a hugely dubious penalty of the type always sought by teams in desperate need of late goals, and often awarded by the gullible Willie Collum.

It summed up the season that Aberdeen took Kilmarnock’s attacking linchpin in January, but got next to nothing from playing him regularly out of position while Killie marched on regardless and relentless. Forget the individual players, Killie were the better team.

We wish them well in their Europa League campaign.

Though a season of missed opportunities ended emblematically with a failed penalty, it is something to the Dons’ credit that over the final two weekends, in the knowledge that they had no room for the slightest error, they have done as much as they possibly could to force the issue, chipping out two victories.

In that, confirming their final placing of fourth is a fair one, Aberdeen will feel a European place would have been justly earned and their minimum target duly delivered. It would be wrong to call it a season of success, but it would, at least, save it from being as big a flop as that which brought about the ultimately decisive goal at Rugby Park.

Willie Collum: Awarded Killie a penalty