what the managers said
Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes praised scorer Vernon for his dedication and patience in waiting for his chance, and admits that had the Dons not been suffering a number of injuries, the Englishman might not have been on the pitch.
McInnes said: “There were a lot of qualities required. Inverness have come here on the back of a great start to the campaign and we needed tenacity, determination and perseverance to try and get the job done.
“The big thing we were looking for was a touch of quality, and thankfully Scott brought that. You can see what it means to him, the players and the support.
“He’s a popular boy and he’s had to look in from the outside this season, but he’s a top professional and he’s got his reward.
“The fact he scored shows you where we are, as he might not have got on the pitch had Niall McGinn been fit. It’s pleasing to see.”
McInnes felt his side merited the three points, adding: “I felt it was deserved over the 90 minutes. I thought we were totally dominant in the first half, although the second half was much more even.
“Inverness aren’t used to being beaten and they don’t like being beaten. They threw everything at us, but that bit of quality won us the game.
Caley Thistle remain top of the Scottish Premiership on goal difference despite their 1-0 loss at Pittodrie, with Celtic now level on points following their win over St Johnstone. Terry Butcher said: “I don’t think there was much between the teams to be honest, neither keeper had too much to do. Dean Brill, has made a couple of good saves in the first half and we’ve not really tested Jamie Langfield enough.
“We were better in the second half and at the time they got their goal, I thought it was probably our best spell.
“That’s our unbeaten run gone and we haven’t scored today. It’s disappointing but we’ll regroup. It’s a different feeling – we’ve not lost this season and I don’t quite know what to do now.
“The dog will get walked tomorrow and I’ll reflect on it.”
Butcher found solace in the defeat as he added: “It’s quite ironic that Aberdeen see us a scalp to be taken, as they have twice our budget.
“They’re able to put on Josh Magennis and Scott Vernon, experienced players, whereas our bench has youngsters and players who don’t have a lot of experience at this level.”
