Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin was delighted with the character shown both on and off the pitch at Pittodrie this afternoon as Aberdeen rescued a draw after being 2-0 down.

“Some parts of the performance in the first half were quite good, but again there were two soft goals against us. We have to do better on this for the rest of the season so we don’t get in these situations. We were not so compact and had too few players in the box in the first half.

“What we talked about at half-time was that we never give in, and use the crowd we have here, the atmosphere at Pittodrie. The way we came together, the fans, the players, pushing to the last second of the game, even trying to get a winning goal, I’m so proud of the character the team shows today. It’s going to be so important to have this spirit and this character for the rest of the season.

“There’s a lot of situations in the box today where they did well against us, they blocked some shots, they were good at defending in their box, but we never stop believing and when you keep pushing so many situations into the opponent’s box, sooner or later it has to be a goal.

“I’m proud of the team, we’re not so happy with the result of course, but when you are two down in the first half, you also have to take the positive things that we could. It’s an important point today, after how the game goes in the first half, that says a lot about this team.”

Kevin Nisbet notched two more goals, bringing his tally to four in five games. The Aberdeen boss made it clear that this was a case of hard work getting its rewards.

“If you think about Kevin’s development from his arrival and how hard he’s worked in the gym and on the training pitch since his arrival, it’s really nice to see players get rewarded for that on the pitch, when they’re pushing so hard to get better and sharper all the time. He’s working a lot after and before sessions, on off days, and I’m glad to see these characters get the result they deserve.

“The goals are one thing, but also how he contributes in our build-up, how we work over the pitch and also how he improves the defending part a lot, and is taking more responsibility there. When you do all of that well, you arrive more often at good scoring opportunities, because you’re more in the game, and that’s why it’s good to see how connected he is with the team and what he’s showing.

“We want everyone to contribute goals, not only one player, but when you have Kevin’s quality and his calmness inside the box, it’s a good for us to have him.”