Barry Robson was pleased with the way his team fought back from 2-0 down to get a draw in Helsinki but was frustrated they didn’t get more as he felt they shaded a game played in dreadful conditions.
“We knew the pitch was going to be difficult because of the conditions and Helsinki dealt with it much better. We started well but then we weren’t great for about half an hour after that. We got to half-time and I said to the players that that wasn’t on, that we could deal with it too.
“We sorted a couple of things out and second half, we got closer to them, made our tackles and were a totally different team. I’m pleased to have come back from 2-0 and we probably should have won it in the end with that chance for Bojan.
“We brought in a lot of players tonight who needed minutes to keep them strong and fit, a lot of them grew into it really well, and got better as the game went on. Credit to them for getting it back to 2-2, but it’s frustrating because it’s another game we could have won.
“We were much more aggressive, quicker, more like the team we want to be when we were attacking the goal with the fans behind it. You could feel the connection with the fans and I wanted us to try and win the game for them.
“The pleasing thing is that against the Swedish champions, the Finnish champions, PAOK and Frankfurt, who won the Europa League a couple of years ago, we’ve scored 11 goals so far. Maybe we’ve been too aggressive in Europe because we’ve conceded goals as well, but we really want to be that team. The biggest learning curve is trying to get that balance right the next time we go into Europe, hopefully next season.
“Goals change games, it was the same for them too. Big Pape should have scored in the first few minutes and then we played ok for ten minutes but they scored, that gave them the momentum and they put us under pressure for half an hour. But then Angus puts one in and it changes the game again, we’re the team making chances.
“It was an outstanding debut for Jack Milne, he’s tall, quick, strong, he can handle the ball, he can play there, as a centre-back, in the centre of midfield, he’s got a lot about him. Ester is starting to fly now, big Angus did really well too, and that’s reward for how hard they work, because these guys come in on the rare days off we get and look to improve and to get back in the team.”
The Dons now move on to the next road trip, to the capital to take on Hibs at Easter Road on Sunday.
“The games on Sunday after Europe have been difficult for us, but we’re looking forward to Hibs on Sunday, which will be our seventh game out of eight away from home. I’ve been in the game 30, 40 years and I’ve never seen that before. It’s as hard a schedule as anybody in Europe will have, but that’s created a bond in the squad, we’ve stayed in the fight, and that will help us going forward.”
