the players thank the fans

Wednesday’s League Cup win at Motherwell is one of those games that will go down in Aberdeen’s folklore. Andrew Considine’s 82nd minute goal set the Dons on the way to a brilliant victory and he was amongst a number of the players who spoke to RedTV:

“We put in a real shift against a very good Motherwell side. As a team, we were solid. They had a lot of possession, but everything they threw at us, we dealt with really well. I never really felt they were going to steal anything from us, I felt that as a team we defended very well.

“The encouraging thing throughout was that even though we were defending a lot of the time, we did look dangerous on the break. In the end, we took our chances and when you go down to ten men, you know you’re only going to get a few, especially against a good team like them.

“Even if you start the game on the bench, you have to be mentally ready for the game as soon as it starts. You have to keep in mind that you need to be 100% ready to rock’n’roll the moment you get asked to go on, whether it’s the first minute or the 90th. I felt for Joe but I was delighted to get on and play a part.

“Coming in at half-time, as ever, the gaffer was so positive. He stressed that they weren’t carving us open, we were tight across the middle and the back and his message was that if we wanted it enough, it was there for us to go and win the game.

“The manager spoke about the crowd as well. We brought down an amazing number of fans and his message was that we couldn’t send them off home unhappy. In the end, that performance was for the fans and for the gaffer.

“The support we take everywhere is always incredible, but it was really special at Motherwell. Even when we went down to ten men, they were always singing, they created fantastic atmosphere and we were just delighted to give them the win.

“I’ve been due a goal, I haven’t scored for a while now, I didn’t even score last season before my injury, but it was a great time to get back on the scoresheet! I was delighted, I can’t explain how good it felt to get that goal and set us on the way.

“It was an important game for us, we wanted to win it, to get into the semi-finals because it keeps the season bubbling along, you know you have a big game to look forward to in the new year.

“There’s a real buzz about the place at the minute, there’s a great spirit here, and hopefully we can use that to get a run of good results in the league before we start thinking about the cup again”.

Russell Anderson

“Every player dug deep right through the 90 minutes and, though we had to ride our luck a little bit at times, I didn’t think Motherwell created too many real opportunities considering they had home advantage and a man advantage as well and in the end I thought we deserved it for the sheer effort we put in.

“When you’re down to ten men in circumstances like that, the key thing is to make sure you give nothing away and defensively, I thought we were well organised and made ourselves hard to break down. Obviously it puts a physical and mental strain on you as the game goes on and if it had gone to extra-time, maybe that might have told in Motherwell’s favour, but fortunately, it didn’t get that far!

“We got our due reward for all that hard work in the last few minutes. I was delighted when Andy got up to nod in and put us in the lead and then when Jonny grabbed the second, it was just such a feeling of relief.

“What was great at the end of the game was the reaction of the fans and of the players who were on the bench and those who were not even stripped.

“It showed we are all in this together.”

Jamie Langfield

“It was an incredible battling performance. We knew going to Motherwell was going to be hard anyway but going down to ten men after 10 minutes made it an uphill struggle. The manager changed it though and we got into a great shape and we became very hard to play against and score against. I think if you ask any team, it can be very hard to play against ten men. We knew we had the quality to cause them problems on the counter attack and from set pieces. All in all a tremendous result and the boys were buzzing after the game.

“The manager and Tony Docherty put a strong emphasis on organisation. They make sure we are totally organised and we don’t lose silly goals from set plays. If someone is going to score a goal it might have to be a 30 yarder into the top corner that we can do nothing about. We are all really organised. Everyone works together, all six or seven of the defensive players every day in training and then on the pitch during a game.

“As a squad we are just going to enjoy last night and not look too far ahead. We are enjoying the way things are going at the moment but I still think there is more to come from us.

“The support on Wednesday night was incredible. The only way we can keep that sort of crowd coming back is by playing the correct way. Last night was the perfect example. If we keep on doing that they will back us all the way. Last night they were the extra man and they helped us get through.”

Peter Pawlett

“It was a new position for me in the second half – right wing back! I really enjoyed it and I thought we were very good defensively. In Angol I was up against a very good opponent and I think he has been their best player this season. The first time the ball went to him I said ‘right he is not getting past me here’. I managed to keep him goal side and I grew in confidence from that moment on. I was pleased with my performance and I thought we dealt with him quite well.

“When Joe got sent off I did think oh no! We did start the game well and Motherwell had the upper hand. When we went down to ten men we knew we had to get two banks of four with someone up top. We let them come onto us but all they could produce was shots from outside the box. Russell, Andy and Mark were unbelievable at the back. They won every single header.

“It was good for me to play alongside Russell. As it was a new position for me he really helped me through the game. It made it easier for me.

“Our support also helped me and all the boys through the game. There is no doubt they made a massive difference.

“The reaction in the dressing room afterwards was amazing. I think it is one of the best games I have been involved in. The journey up the road was good as well thanks to big Joe’s treat! As his punishment Joe Shaughnessy he had to buy all the boys a fish supper as a way of saying sorry to everyone which was decent!”