Dons are gone in 16 seconds as Duk deals Killie survival fight a blow
THERE was a time not so long ago when the upcoming 40th anniversary of Aberdeen’s 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph looked destined to be overshadowed by the miserable events of the present.
A Scottish Cup exit to sixth-tier Darvel, either side of 5-0 and 6-0 thrashing at Hearts and Hibernian, was enough to reduce Pittodrie chairman Dave Cormack to the verge of tears as he sacked Jim Goodwin in late January.
But the remarkable, rapid recovery under Barry Robson continued apace yesterday as this 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock saw the rejuvenated Dons leapfrog crisisstrewn Hearts into third place.
When Sir Alex Ferguson and the Gothenburg Greats return to the Granite City next month to share their war stories, the Class of 2023 are very likely to be on course for a continental adventure of their own this summer.
These Aberdeen fans certainly believe in Robson and his team.
‘We’re all going on a European tour,’ chanted a delirious Pittodrie after a double from Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes made it five wins in a row under the caretaker boss.
Robson is nominally in situ until the summer at least but it looks increasingly certain he will be the next permanent boss at Pittodrie.
The Dons manager made just one change from the previous weekend’s 1-0 win against St Johnstone and it was enforced.
Youngster Ryan Duncan came in for the suspended Graeme Shinnie, who was ordered off at McDiarmid Park. That meant the captain’s armband was passed to Ross McCrorie.
Kilmarnock were without Rory McKenzie after his red card in the 2-1 home win over Hearts last weekend. Kyle Vassell also missed out, with Brad Lyons and Luke Chambers coming into the team.
Killie approached this match having won just two points away from home in the Premiership all season.
In a bid to address his team’s lamentable away form, Derek McInnes (pictured) took his players down to train on grass in Largs this week.
But it took little time at Pittodrie for the latest evidence that natural green surfaces away from Rugby Park have a similar effect on his players as Kryptonite has on Superman.
Just 16 seconds had passed when Sam Walker was picking the ball out of the back of his net. Duncan picked up possession and fed Bojan Miovski. He played in Duk and the little attacker drilled the ball low and hard into the bottom-left corner from 16 yards.
The former Benfica winger celebrated his 14th goal of the season in front of the celebrating Aberdeen fans by driving an imaginary golf ball over the Red Shed and pretending to watch it soar off into the sky.
Aberdeen then had a penalty claim waved aside when Jeriel Dorsett challenged Miovski in the box. But the Killie defender had got the ball fairly and referee Don Robertson correctly waved play on.
Kilmarnock were not creating much but Liam Scales had the home fans stressing when he was short with a pass back to Kelle Roos. The Dutch keeper was able to scramble the ball to safety. Kilmarnock did come back into the match in the latter stages of the first half. Christian Doidge saw a volley saved by Roos then the Aberdeen keeper saved a header by Liam Donnelly.
Kilmarnock continued to look bright after the break and Lewis Mayo dragged a shot just wide of the left post after the ball had bounced around the box.
But it was all over just before the hour mark when Leighton Clarkson picked out Miovski on the edge of the box with a superb pass.
The Macedonian frontman looked to have shanked his shot wide of the right post. But it fortuitously fell for Duk, who gleefully netted his 15th goal of the season from close range.
As Aberdeen sought to extend their advantage, Mattie Pollock fizzed a half volley just past the post.
Up at the other end, substitute Scott Robinson shot wide and Fraser Murray found the net but was flagged offside as Killie tried in vain to add to their meagre total of six away league goals for the season.
But this match was long over and after bidding Duk a hero’s farewell when he was replaced by young Alfie Bavidge, the Aberdeen fans turned their focus to events down in Edinburgh.
News had spread from Tynecastle that Curtis Main and Mark O’Hara had St Mirren 2-0 ahead against a Hearts team reduced to 10 men with Robert Snodgrass being sent off.
‘Hearts are falling apart, again,’ sang Pittodrie before the Red Army turned their attention back to chanting about what they believe is an imminent European tour this summer.
It is a turnaround in mood and fortune the Dons fans simply could not have seen coming in those dark final days of Goodwin’s reign in January.