Manager Jimmy Thelin spoke to the media on Friday lunchtime to preview our Premier Sports Cup Quarter-final match with The Spartans. RedTV subscribers can watch in full by clicking here.
“It’s a really important game. It’s a cup game, they have a good coach. I think he is the longest serving coach at one club now in Scotland, they have some experience, ex Premier League players. They beat Ross County in the last round. We need to be really focused on this one and prepare ourselves and go with all we have to try and win this game tomorrow to get through to the next round.
“They’re doing well (The Spartans). You can see they’re well organised, they’re well connected. There are some ideas how they link up the game and arrive to crosses. I think they are performing well. They are fourth in their league right now, a stable team. We need to play our parts with the high quality, otherwise they’re well organised and it’s difficult to open them up.
“Duk has done enough to get into the squad but I think he is still maybe one week or so before he’s ready to compete with other guys inside the squad. He’s going to be out for this game also but he’s doing really well in the sessions. His timings with the teammates is better and better. He is adapting really quickly. It’s only two weeks but he understands the game well and adapting. We can also use his qualities when he is more connected with the team.
“Graeme Shinnie had some days out (through illness) but now he’s much better and trained well today also. Dante is still out but otherwise everybody is ready to play.
“The dialog with the club is good (regarding Jack MacKenzie and Jamie McGrath’s contract situations) and Steven (Gunn) is making that process. Let’s see what is happening. I can’t speak for the players but there’s a process there.
“Jack MacKenzie made his 100th appearance for Aberdeen at the weekend, I am always happy when players are breaking through and playing. 100 games already at that age I think is impressive. He’s doing fine and I think he’s taking small steps all the time. I don’t know so much about last season but when I speak to Peter (Leven), the last part of last season he did really well and make a big step in his career. Hopefully he can keep going with that.
“I think that’s why we need to be strong in our identity. There is always some way of pressure but I think you also have to embrace it and see it and see it as a positive way that people believe in you and push you. I think that’s why we have found a good level inside the games. Sometimes we also have some games, when we were winning in the end but we keep going and this extra energy from the fans helps us and they push us in the right way.
“It’s a cup game, you have to win or your out. That is the different part from the league game, we always try to think about it in the same way. Game by game and try to have the same preparation and not change anything in our mentality and get this stable performance. You cannot always be up here but you can’t drop too low. You have to be stable to get the points and the victories. Tomorrow is no different from the other games.”
