what the managers said

Quotes from PA Sport

Craig Brown was delighted to reward the Aberdeen support with a victory in his final home match as manager after Niall McGinn’s double sealed a 2-0 win over Hearts.

Brown will move aside for Derek McInnes, who was among the 10,175 crowd on Saturday, after the game at Tannadice next Saturday and Aberdeen gave themselves a chance of starting off the new manager’s reign in the top half after moving above Hibernian and Dundee United into seventh place.

Brown said: “I’m not an emotional guy but it was nice. When you walk down there, I have heard it the other way, but nothing bad.

“They always applaud the Aberdeen manager up the track at the start of the game and I always acknowledge it.

“But going back at half-time if you’re not winning: ‘Get it sorted out Brown’. They tell you.

“But the support to me since I have been here has been fantastic.

“I’m grateful to the support because it has been consistently supportive, even when you lose a game.

“There were a couple of games when the team was catching it and I was catching it, they were frustrated.

“But the response has been terrific and today was very pleasant.”

McGinn scored 10 minutes into each half, firstly slotting into an empty net after Jonny Hayes had been sent clear on the right, and then curling into the top corner after some good skill in the box.

Josh Magennis also had the ball in the net twice but the offside flag was raised both times.

Brown said: “I’m pleased that the folks went away happy today. We have played better than that this season and we have had I don’t know how many 0-0 draws (six), and in many of these games we were far more accomplished than we were today.

“But we got the breaks today and Jamie Langfield made a couple of good saves.

“Niall scored a couple and we had two chalked off for offside which were onside. I have looked at it on the tape.

“I wouldn’t like to think that if it came to goal difference, two wrong decisions go against us.

“I don’t normally complain but I think it’s justifiable to complain when they are wrong, particularly if you win.

“We are pleased there is still an outside chance and if there is still a chance when we go to Tannadice there will be an excellent crowd there.”

McGinn took his tally to the season to 19 Aberdeen goals but there was a negative to his day when he was booked for diving for the second time in recent weeks after going down under Danny Wilson’s challenge.

Brown, who lost Stephen Hughes to injury before the game and saw Jonny Hayes limp off with a knee problem, said: “He should never have been booked at Kilmarnock, that was shocking.

“But today it wasn’t a penalty, he admitted that. But with his momentum he was stumbling along and he went down.

“He said: ‘I wasn’t trying to get a penalty.’

“Maybe he was harshly booked. He is not a diving player.”

Hearts had a number of first-half chances with John Sutton hitting the post and Jamie Langfield making good saves from the striker plus Jamie Walker and Michael Ngoo.

Manager Gary Locke said: “That was one of the positive things for us, we are creating chances, but we can’t keep missing them.

“That is the story of the season for us, the chances we are getting we are not putting the ball in the net.

“That’s probably the difference between the teams, Aberdeen got two chances and scored.”