Brown is happy to tune in for one more shutout
PETER PAWLETT’s second-half winner was scant reward for Aber deen’s dominance. Given how little he has had to do to collect win bonuses lately, however, Pittodrie goalkeeper Scott Brown was always confident one goal would be enough to earn full points.
The threat of Kilmarnock was limited on Saturday to such an extent that the Dons No 1’s main concern was how to keep warm on a bitterly cold afternoon.
Maintaining his concentration for short bursts of activity is something the Englishman has had to get used to since replacing Jamie Langfield following a 3-0 defeat at Hamilton two months ago.
Brown has conceded only two goals in his 10 appearances for the club in a run that includes eight wins and a solitary league defeat to Celtic.
Despite those impressive stats, the man signed from Cheltenham in the summer insists that a large part of the credit belongs to the quality of the outfield players defending as a formidable barrier.
It has meant honing different skills for someone used to a more hectic life in England’s lower leagues.
‘I’ve definitely had to improve my concentration, with being quiet for much of the time during some games,’ he said. ‘I’ve had to work on that because in England, in Leagues One and Two, the ball is chucked in your box every five minutes.
‘You’re having a decision to make more often but here it’s about keeping your focus and doing your job when you are called upon.
‘Your mind can wander but you’ve got to keep switched on at all times and remember that it’s a 94, 95-minute game, and never switch off.
‘But everybody’s working so hard as individuals to keep a clean sheet.
‘It’s a real team effort, so you’d take a 1-0 win every time, even if we could have perhaps won by a couple more against Kilmarnock.’
That was certainly the case as Aberdeen took until the 69th minute to finally capitalise on their superiority over a visiting side struggling to cope with the variety of their opponents’ attacking threats.
In the first half Adam Rooney passed up two chances to increase his impressive 17-goal tally before the visitors settled into the game, while David Goodwillie drilled a shot against the crossbar. The Dons simply increased their intensity after the break, with Pawlett hitting the far post from an acute angle after a delightful assist from Goodwillie.
Lee Ashcroft also cleared the ball off his own line but Kilmarnock’s luck has been fragile to say the least in re c e nt t i mes and, inevitably, it finally gave out altogether. A Jonny Hayes r un f r om deep unnerved several defenders before the Irishman’s deflected shot caused goalkeeper Craig Samson considerable concern.
He could only push the ball straight out to Pawlett, who rattled in his fifth goal of the season to move Aberdeen above Caley Thistle ahead of Sunday’s trip to Inverness.
Victory in the Highlands would be a fitting end to a year that has brought a first trophy to the club for nearly two decades and the elimination of an equally historic £14.49million of debt.
Aberdeen’s supporters certainly left Pittodrie full of the joys of the season but there can be little festive cheer for the followers of Kilmarnock, despite this gutsy performance.
A promising start to the campaign has given way to an all-too-familiar collapse in form, resulting in a return of just one point from the last 21 available.
Add a Scottish Cup thumping at Ibrox to the mix and it’s not surprising there are rumblings of discontent about manager Allan Johnston, especially after last season’s turmoil.
Injuries have not helped his cause as Alexei Eremenko, Sammy Clingan and top scorer Tope Obadeyi all missed the match while Darryl Westlake was carried off before half-time.
That was the result of a clumsy tackle which earned Goodwillie a yellow card on a day when the Dons striker vented his frustration against McInnes as he was being substituted later.
The Aberdeen manager’s reaction hinted at a glowing future in the diplomatic corps when he said: ‘I think his reaction is natural.
‘I don’t want my players to be happy coming off, but it was all about getting the victory and seeing the bigger picture.’
The good news for Johnston is that Samson sees no dissenters amongst the Kilmarnock players, who remain convinced he still has the ability to spark a revival.
‘There’s no question of discontent between the team and the manager,’ said the Rugby Park goalkeeper.
‘We are just not winning enough matches and there are games when we certainly have not performed well enough.
‘We know that as a team and the manager has told us that in no uncertain terms at times. What he does know is that we gave him everything we could against Aberdeen.
‘We believe we can turn it around, the manager believes we can turn it around and that is the main thing.
‘Hopefully we can build on the performance against Aberdeen then take it into the Hamilton game and get a result at home next Saturday.’
It will be vitally important that Kilmarnock do precisely that to ease the growing pressure on the Ayrshire side, given they start the new year with a trip to face bottom-of-the-table St Mirren.