Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin was philosophical after his side lost their first game of the league season in a tight fixture at St. Mirren that might have gone either way.
“We had moments in the first half when we were a little bit unbalanced, they were sharp in the transitions. In the second half, I think we started really well, more the way we wanted to play, a mix between playing front and behind them. We created a good momentum in this period when we scored the goal and also had a chance before that. That first 25 minutes was good in the second half.
“But after that, the game didn’t get open again. And they were good too, I feel like maybe they were a little bit sharper in the critical moments today, so that’s why they win the game. Congratulations to them.
“The first half was not good enough from us. It happens sometimes. It’s not easy to say exactly why because it’s so many individuals in a team. But also, we have an opponent and they were really good in the first half. I don’t want to over-analyse because I know we have done really good things this season.
“The most important thing is what happens in the next game now and how we learn from this game. It’s easy to find something in games that you’re not happy with. But also remember the good things the players are doing. I know how good they are, how they train every way and how many times they have saved us. It’s football and it happens.”
The game itself was in jeopardy because of the terrible weather, eventually kicking off after a delay of an hour which at least meant another huge travelling support hadn’t made their way to Paisley in vain.
“Everybody wanted to make the game happen. It’s a long trip for many people in bad conditions on the roads, but they were here and they supported us the whole game and after the game. Of course we always want to make a good result for them but it isn’t always possible. They gave us energy after the game and now we have to focus and go back and prepare ourselves for the next game against Hibernian.
“For me, that’s the focus you have to have. It’s a long season, every opponent is good, but you have to focus on yourself and what we can improve from this game today. Like I said, St Mirren were better in some critical moments today, that’s why they won. That’s football.”
