Aberdeen 4 Dundee 1: Thelin hails character of his Pittodrie men as Dons bounce back from Hampden horror show
Jimmy Thelin reckons his Aberdeen table-toppers proved their character beyond question by bouncing back to winning ways with a four-goal second-half show at home to Dundee.
The Dons had lost 6-0 to Celtic at Hampden in the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup on their previous outing — seeing a 16-game unbeaten run blown apart — but showed their strength to win last night thanks to efforts from Ante Palaversa, Topi Keskinen and substitutes Vicente Besuijen and Kevin Nisbet.
Thelin’s men struggled at times during a goalless first half, needing goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov to save a Simon Murray penalty, but they dug deep to surge towards victory and go three points ahead of Celtic at the head of the Premiership having played a game more.
‘I have to say the character of the team is so nice, getting this experience with these players. How they find their way back into games,’ said the Swede. ‘Obviously, it was a difficult first half. We were quite open in our structure.
‘The position was not where we wanted it to be and also, of course, Dimi saved the penalty.
‘The fans stayed with us and supported us, even if it was not the perfect half, and then we talked in the dressing room about how to adjust small things, not panic, have small adjustments, better positions, find better rhythm and more stability in how to defend the transitions.
Jimmy Thelin was all smiles yet again as his side put their heavy defeat to Celtic behind them
Vicente Besuijen restores the Dons' two-goal advantage shortly after coming off the bench
Nisbet takes the acclaim of Ambrose after rounding off a highly satisfactory day's work
‘I think the players answered really well and that says a lot about their character. We don’t change everything or stress ourselves in these situations.
‘We were struggling, we had some chances, they had some chances, it was back and forth, and then the penalty was pivotal.
‘That’s why I’m even more proud of the players today, and our supporters — how we stayed focused on the right things and went out in the second half and won the game.
‘It’s still a long-term project, but we have to use this spirit we have in Pittodrie right now.’
Aberdeen beat Dundee without midfielders Jamie McGrath, who had minor surgery related to the head knock suffered against Ross County in August, and Sivert Heltne Nilsen, who was ill. Thelin, though, believes they will be back after the international break.
Topi Keskinen (second right) celebrates his goal with his Pittodrie team-mates
Dundee boss Tony Docherty, meanwhile, laid down the gauntlet to his team over the atrocious defending that paved the way for their downfall.
‘It was a really strong first-half performance. We dominated possession,’ said Docherty, who saw substitute Finlay Robertson taken off on a stretcher in time added on and whisked to hospital for an X-ray on his shin.
‘If we’d gone in at half-time 2-0 up, it wouldn’t have been an unfair reflection. To then lose the goals we lost is unacceptable.
‘There comes a time when the players really need to start taking responsibility for these individual errors.
‘Aberdeen don’t need to do a lot to score those goals today.’
