Jonny Hayes post match quotes

Jonny Hayes was the player who spoke to the press after the game on Boxing Day at Pittodrie.

“Dundee came into the game with a bit of adversity due to the lack of numbers. Sometimes that adversity can galvanise a team. Then they got the lead which gave them a bigger lift.

“We have a game plan that we like to stick to as much as possible because we know when it works it pays off. So we knew that even although we went behind, if we stick to the game plan we would get ourselves back into the game. It was a piece of real quality from Ryan. We knew then if we keep doing what we were doing we would get another. We probably could have had a couple more goals and made it and bit less stressful towards the end.

“It was a great strike from Leigh and sometimes nothing can be done in those situations. We did not panic and did not resort to long balls. We tried to get the ball on the deck, conditions do not help at this time of year, but we stuck to the plan and got a couple of really good goals from passing moves.

“For the winner we moved the ball well. We know sometimes if we move the ball quickly from one side to the other then someone will be free. That is something we have worked on all season. Christian has played it into the path of Lewis who was free and had time to strike the ball as well as he can do.”

First half of the season

“We don’t see getting into the top six as something we should give ourselves a pat on the back for.

“We now need to push on and do as well as we can do. For Aberdeen sixth position is not where we want to be. We are now halfway through the season, and you can tell that players are still adjusting to each other a little bit at times. Hopefully we now have a base and can take confidence into the second half of the season and win more games.

“The best teams in the world can still improve. You can say that we need to keep more cleansheets, score goals and move the ball faster. Every single area we can improve on, but the biggest thing is putting more points on the table.

“I would not say it is early days, but we are only six months into a spell with a new manager and new players. We are getting better but there is a lot more room for improvement and the there are things we do on the training pitch that we can take onto the park. But as I say the biggest thing for us is winning more games. There are different ways we can do that, it is not a black and white answer, but we need to win more games.”

Supporters

First and foremost, safety has to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. But football without fans is not the best, putting it lightly. As enjoyable as it is playing football, last season was least enjoyable of my career because at the end of the day you feed off the fans.

The people in charge know a lot more about it than I do. If they can navigate us through this over the next three or four weeks and we can get fans back in late January then we will all be happy.

January Window

“As a player, when you have a good group then you want to keep everyone together. I know from experience, when there is intertest from outside, the best thing you can do is keep your head down and block out the noise and just go and enjoy your football.

“We know there has been some interest in our players, but I don’t see it affecting them day to day. Players will move on eventually, that is football, but you can’t let it affect you on the training pitch or in games. My advice to any of the younger players who find themselves in this situation – keep your head down and do your best for Aberdeen.”