Quotes from the Press Room

After the game, Derek McInnes gave his reaction to the media

“We asked for the players to give us a strong, passionate, energetic performance and we got that from the first whistle to the last.

“I thought we were excellent today, really dominant, really committed and imposed ourselves on the game. We played some fantastic stuff and probably created as much as we have in any game since I have been the manager and we are delighted to get the game won.

“The second goal was a long time coming and while it’s still only 1-0 you are never totally comfortable but when you see the team playing in that manner then it gives you every confidence so I wasn’t overly worried.

“I have been in the game long enough to know that you don’t always get what you deserve but that was a strong performance. The first goal from David deserves to win any game, it was a real piece of individual brilliance as he was strong, athletic and confident enough to take it on.

“Then we score the second goal from a counter attack and Cammy Smith scores his first goal at Pittodrie for the first team so that was special for him. All in all, from goalkeeper to the last substitute we were very strong today.

“It takes more than just a few individual performances to win a game like that, we were talking about Goodwillie’s individual brilliance but we have got to recognise how hard he worked for the team as well – filling back in and putting defenders under pressure. Rooney also at the death going back in and matching their full back and making a slide tackle showed that it really means something to the players.

“We have got good players but they are also really honest and there is a good chemistry there between the players and the supporters, they realise what the players are giving them but also the players recognise that the support believe in them and that’s important to build on.

“The same three points are available for every game but that extra wee bit of motivation was there to go top of the league today, it’s something that the players recognised and we mentioned it before the game. We kicked back for a couple of days after the Inverness game where we have rested the boys and not done any training, we trained yesterday and the tempo was excellent and they looked ready to play today even before we knew what was happening elsewhere.

“We looked strong from start to finish and it’s important that our subs play their part. Sometimes it’s difficult when you are a squad player and the team keeps winning, you feel further away from the team. It can be difficult mentally but we have had young Craig Murray come in and play his part against Inverness and today Cammy, Jeff and Lawrence all played their part in getting us over the line and we have got Willo Flood coming back too.

“It was a top performance and it shows what we are capable of, the players are feeling good about themselves but we realise that we have got to be ready for the next one.

“We are all just looking forward to the next game and I think that is a brilliant thing to have. When you are winning and playing well then the next game can’t come quick enough and that is the case for us. We are enjoying winning and we want it to continue.”

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