Skipper Graeme Shinnie spoke to AFC Media on Friday afternoon at Larnaca airport before the team flew back to Aberdeen. The skipper previewed Sunday’s William Hill Premiership fixture against Motherwell, but first of all reflected on a positive trip to Cyprus.

Abroad

“A good performance. I thought the boys defended really well and it is another clean sheet to add to our recent ones.

“Coming off the back of the Athens game, it was important that we learned our lessons from that. We did. And we also had a couple of chances to maybe go on and win the game. Overall though a draw was probably a fair result, and one for us that was extremely positive.

“The biggest thing we learned from Athens was that we needed to be harder to beat. We attacked a lot in that game which we wanted to do but we left a lot of space for them to go and exploit. And with any teams who have quality, they can hurt you badly. And they did it that night. So it was important to be harder to beat so we then have a chance to maybe go on and win the game. And as I said, we had those chances to go on and win the game late on. But overall, to get a cleansheet at a tough venue, against a team who have done really well so far in the Conference League, it is very encouraging.

“We have now got a couple of homes games in Europe to look forward to and hopefully we can get three points on the board in our next match against Noah. If we managed to do that, and we know it won’t be easy, but if we can do that, we are still in with a chance of qualification going into the final two fixtures. It is still wide open, it is still there for us, but we have got to put the work in now and hopefully go and win the next game which will give us that opportunity. We want to be going to Prague still with a chance. You don’t want to be out with a damp squid. You want to do well, you want to be in the fight, you want to give yourself the chance to get through and that is the aim. Getting our first point on the board on Thursday gives us something to build on.

Togetherness

Again the Dons will have to navigate the Thursday – Sunday turnaround after a long flight on Friday but the skipper points to the benefits of these European away games.

“I think these trips help gel the squad even more, with everyone being together for such a long period of time. There is a really good spirit within the group.

“It was one of the toughest starts to a season I have had here.

“In terms of the fact we could not get goals to get us some points. We urgently needed to get points to move us up the table. It was a tough start. But we always knew it was a long campaign with a lot games to come.

“I think now you are starting to see consistency. For example, with the number of clean sheets we are getting. That is very important for us. If we can contain that sort of standard defensively as a team, it then it gives us the platform to go on and win games.

“It is still a case of head down and work as hard as we can.

“We have still got a long way to go but we are moving in the right direction and we have something to build on.”

Home

If Graeme is named in the XI on the teamsheet on Sunday, it will be his 300th start for Aberdeen.

Any appearance will see the midfielder overtake John McMaster on the all-time AFC appearance list and move into the top 25. But the captain is only thinking about a helping the team to another league win.

“Sunday will be another big test.

“Motherwell are a good team, playing really good football. We have suffered two defeats against them this season. The recent league game down there when they beat us late on, I actually thought we were very good in that game and my personal opinion, is that I thought we should have won the game. We should have had it wrapped up but we didn’t manage to do that and they then had the opportunity to go and win it.

“But I thought we performed well that day and it is a different scenario now, we are in a difference place to where we were then, and we are coming into the game off the back of a decent result in Europe and the win at Rugby Park. We want to keep the momentum going.”

Around this time last season, the team were coming to the end of a long unbeaten spell at home. Since then, Dons record a Pittodrie reads less well. The captain recognises that it is vital we get that dominance back.

“It is very important for the supporters that we win our home games. They have supported us very well, even through the tough times, they always backed us and continue to do so. It is important that we try and make Pittodrie a fortress again and make it a place that teams don’t want to come to. On Sunday we want to put three points on the board and then we can look forward to the international break.”