DEL-IGHTED!
McInnes: Euro spot won’t see us down tools
Aberdeen can dig out the passports again but Derek McInnes insists there are still plenty of miles left in the current campaign.
The Dons boss was delighted his side sealed a Europa League spot for a fourth season on the spin after a slick finish from the impressive Ryan Christie set them on their way before Tam Scobbie’s own goal.
St Johnstone sub Danny Swanson scored from the penalty spot after Anthony O’Connor had bundled Steven MacLean over but the Dons dug deep to bounce back from last week’s 3- 0 hammering by Rangers.
The three points guaranteed a Euro spot although McInnes is adamant it’s just the first leg of a Reds’ treble bid with a Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibs in six days’ time.
He said: “To do it before we go into the split shows the good work by the players. You put together a squad you hope can meet the demand and the
demand here is to get European football, be as competitive as we can in the league and to try to win a cup.
“We have five games to secure second and we are trying to get to our second final this season.
“If you look at it with a bit of perspective, we are happy with our work up to now. But it’s how you finish the season that will decide if you are really happy or not.”
McInnes was a happy man after his side showed quality as well as fighting spirit to see off Saints and stay nine points clear of Rangers.
The Reds boss said: “The control and appetite was everything I wanted because this could have been a really difficult game after last week.
“It was important not to give this St Johnstone team any encouragement but that’s exactly what we did and the referee gave a really soft penalty. MacLean has been clever as there wasn’t any momentum or contact from O’Connor. The question was asked of us at 2-1 but the players had to deal with it and we kept Saints’ chances to a minimum. There’s no question we deserved to win.” It took a shift-and-a-half though. Richard Foster was back in the Saints side for the first time since his rammy with Swanson while his sparring partner was on the bench.
But it was Aberdeen who came out swinging from the off with Jonny Hayes whipping in the kind of crosses that give defenders nightmares.
Saints were under the hammer and Christie managed to break through as the playmaker exchanged a onetwo with Adam Rooney, darted inside and curled the ball into the corner.
It was a sweet f inish from the borrowed Celtic attacker but it was Hayes’ left boot that was skewering Saints – and led to Dons’ second with Scobbie getting himself in a knot before diverting into his own net. Saints barely got a sniff until Kenny McLean casually knocked the ball in to MacLean but the midfielder recovered to tidy up the threat.
Tommy Wr ight got a reaction after the break as Swanson slammed a spotkick into the bottom corner and Saints sprang to life. The same man should have nabbed a second when David Wotherspoon sent him scampering through but shot early only to drag wide.
Aberdeen were forced to dig in with keeper Joe Lewis booked for time wasting with more than half an hour left. The Reds gradually regained control though. Hayes lashed a long-ranger wide and while Saints continued to scrap they couldn’t carve out anything clear-cut enough.