from PA Sport

Derek McInnes felt his side did more than enough to secure their first win at Global Energy Stadium.

An own-goal from County's Paul Quinn just before the hour mark separated the teams but Aberdeen should have won by a bigger margin on chances created.

Dons' boss McInnes said: “I'm very pleased with that tonight.

“I thought we got into some decent areas in the first half. We were a bit wasteful at times. I thought we could have maybe made more of that – but I did feel we had an element of control in the game without being brilliant.

“I don't think Scott Brown had much to do in both halves and the work we were doing against them all was allowing us to keep any danger away.”

McInnes felt his side should have added to the score after the breakthrough.

He explained: “I thought once we got the goal we passed up four or five opportunities. We hit the bar twice – I thought our build at play at that period of time was excellent.

“The slight criticism of the team was we should maybe have scored two or three more goals at that stage because we had a real stranglehold on the game.

“I felt comfortable and I felt my team were fully concentrated tonight and really competitive – and that pleases me no end.”

Ross County manager Jim McIntyre said: “The one thing that disappointed me tonight was our belief on the ball.

“I felt we started the game really well – the first 10-15 minutes our shape was really good. We were hard to break down.

“We could have been a bit braver and try to hurt Aberdeen. We needed to do that to give ourselves a chance.

“Aberdeen are a good side, they hem you in. They pin you back with the pace they have on the flanks. It was a tough night with Johnny Hayes playing so well.”

McIntyre went with two men up front in the final quarter in an attempt to save the game.

He added: “You are always in it at 1-0 and we went for it with the two strikers and had a go.

“But when you do that you are leaving yourself open against a good side. You are going to afford the opposition a couple of chances. We need points, that's why we made those changes.”

“But when you do that you are leaving yourself open against a good side. You are going to afford the opposition a couple of chances. We need points, that's why we made those changes.”