Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes is delighted to see his side take a leaf out of Celtic’s book by perfecting the art of winning ugly.
The Dons, by the manager’s admission, were not at their best on Sunday as they beat Partick Thistle 1-0 at Firhill and, while it may not have been pretty at times, the resolve of his players was singled out for praise by McInnes.
The Aberdeen manager said: “The players did really well against Celtic in our previous game but what Celtic have is a will to win even when they are not playing at their best.
“That mentality has served them well and it’s something we showed at Partick. We were not at our best by any means but the players were determined they were going to win the game.
“We had players playing out of position. Andy Considine was outsanding at right back, Adam Rooney did a power of work for the team from wide left and still managed to get up and support the attack by being a goal threat.
“Ryan Jack was up against two attacking players and he controlled the game for us, too.
“Strong individual performances are encouraging but it is the team performance which I look at.”
McInnes was pleased to see his players keep their pursuit of the top four going after Celtic, Caley Thistle, Dundee United and Hamilton Accies all won on Saturday.
The Dons manager pointed to the fact the Reds have improved on last season’s tally as cause for optimism before stressing he still expects better to come from his players.
He said: “It turned out to be a big weekend for us as the teams above us all won and it was vital we kept ourselves in touch with them all.
“We’re two points better off than we were at this stage last season which probably surprises a lot of people, but I still believe there is more improvement to come from this group of players.”
Shay Logan, who missed the 1-0 win at Partick, will return from suspension for Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie at Dundee, while McInnes hopes to have midfielder Barry Robson available after the veteran missed Sunday’s game.
He said: “Barry reported for training on Saturday morning with a sore hip he had suffered in training, so we decided to leave him behind. It’s nothing serious but it was enough to keep him out of the Partick game.”