?All very different to our last such venture five years previously, and a performance which proved the management and coaching staff had done their bit in ensuring the players were as fit and ready as possible at this embryonic stage of the new campaign.
The Latvian team was a disgrace, their approach something of a throwback to a more brutal style of game played decades ago, and the Dons deserve great credit for rising above that, maintaining focus and concentration, and allowing their superior skills to win through. The boys then followed that up with what seems to have been a thoroughly professional performance in Riga to make it a perfect kickoff to the season.
The biggest plus of all was the goal-scoring form of Adam Rooney, and with five goals already, the striker must be brimming with confidence, and hopefully ready to provide the kind of total which can make a huge difference to our hopes in the coming months. Niall McGinn apart, we have struggled for years to find a consistent scorer; Rooney shows all the signs of being that man.
While Adam will be leading the line, his main back-up will now be coming from our recent signing, David Goodwillie.
The deal has been questioned by some, but there is no question that David has talent, and if he can recapture the sort of form which won him his big money move, he will be an excellent addition to the squad.
One response I noticed on Twitter seemed to sum up the mood of many, the fan writing “…. he’s one of ours now, so welcome to the Dons family”.
Derek McInnes will, I’m sure, have weighed this one up carefully before making his move, but he and Tony Docherty know the player well, and must be confident they can help him get his career back on track again. If they do, Aberdeen will certainly be the winners.
Tonight’s match will provide a significant stepup in terms of quality of the opposition, and unlike Riga, Groningen will actually try to play some football. Having finished seventh in the Eredivisie last season, they booked a Europa League place with convincing wins over Vitesse and Alkmaar and clearly have the capability to cause us big problems. I’ve spoken to a couple of commentators who cover Dutch football and they believe the Dons will.
This article originally appeared in RedMatchDay Issue 02
This article originally appeared in RedMatchDay Issue 02
