Ahead of our trip to Ainslie Park, Dons defender Madison Finnie sat down to preview a crucial 90 minutes for Aberdeen in Edinburgh.
“Sunday was a really good experience. It was just great walking out with the team.
“My childhood club, walking out with the girls in front of friends and family was special. It was a decent turnout as well, so overall it was a really enjoyable experience shared with a good group of girls. We can be happy with the way we performed.
“They scored early on in the game, but after that we put in a strong performance.
“They scored just before half-time, which obviously isn’t the greatest time to concede, and then they scored two goals in the last ten minutes, which probably just shows their fitness more.
“I think our defensive performance was excellent. From start to finish, all the girls put in a shift and worked for each other. That was the main thing. You could definitely see it on the pitch.
“From a performance point of view, we can all be proud of it.
“If we play the way we did on Sunday, we’ll be fine. Since the split, we’ve had a lot of the ball, so defensively we haven’t had to focus as much as we did on Sunday. I think we’ll take the positives from that and bring them into the game. Spartans will be a challenge, but it’s one we’re all up for.
“Results maybe haven’t gone our way down at Ainslie Park, but it’s time to change that. We want to get a win down there.
“I think I’ll probably just need a second for it to sink in, (returning to Ainslie Park after ankle break there) Once I’m on the pitch, I’ll be completely fine. It won’t go through my mind.
“Once I’m playing, my focus will be straight on the game. Maybe there are memories there, but hopefully I can turn it around and make it a nice memory.
“They know what to expect from me. I go into every game the same. It’s something I enjoy doing—being physical, being strong. It will be a good game, and I believe it will be a physical one as well.
“We weren’t happy with the result against them the other week either. This is one we want to turn around. We want to get back to winning ways. It’ll be tough, they’re a good team and they’ve done really well this season. But we’ve done well too.
“We just need to build on Sunday and be completely ready for Wednesday, which all the girls are looking forward to.
“The games are coming quick and fast. It’s focus on one, play it, and then quickly move on to the next. It’s just taking each game as it comes. It’s definitely exciting being part of so many games in a short period, and hopefully we can finish the season on a high.
“Our squad is so competitive, with such great quality players. Relying on a big squad is great for these midweek games. You can count on players to come in and do the job that needs to be done.
“Hopefully we can come back up the road happy and with the three points.”
