Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Wilson’s debut goal raises Dons’ spirits at Pittodrie

AberdeenÂ’s James Wilson scores to make it 1-0
AberdeenÂ’s James Wilson scores to make it 1-0

James Wilson showed some of the class that saw him touted as one of England’s most prodigious talents as Aberdeen picked up their second league win of the season against Motherwell.

His finish six minutes into the game lifted the mood around the Granite City despite an otherwise forgettable game with the Steelmen bringing little to the contest and the hosts missing a couple of opportunities to add to their lead.

A natural finisher has been sorely lacking for the Dons since Adam Rooney’s departure so a sense of excitement and expectation surrounded Wilson’s first start.

It was not a single-tack approach with Sam Cosgrove called upon to partner Wilson. Cosgrove has spent much of his time at Pittodrie operating as a lone striker and has not looked like a regular goalscorer. However, his hold-up play is seen as an asset and he showed glimpses of his work in a pair alongside Bruce Anderson at McDiarmid Park the previous week, giving hope he could build a similar rapport with Wilson.

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes shakes hands with James Wilson

McInnes could scarcely have hoped for a better impact from Wilson as he took just six minutes to register his first Aberdeen goal. Niall McGinn took possession 35 yards from goal and slid in Wilson against Tom Aldred with the 22-year-old holding off the defender and angling a shot across Trevor Carson into the far corner.

He often played higher up the pitch than Cosgrove, ready for flick-ons and through balls, and looked to drive forward when he got the ball into feet. They certainly were not starved of service against a Well team playing their traditional 3-5-2, with the Dons’ extra width affording them avenues to attack down the flanks. Gary Mackay-Steven and Shay Logan were having plenty of joy down the right, pinning in wing-back Richard Tait.

Cosgrove played well with his back to goal when he was laying off to advancing red shirts, however when the onus was on him to play a killer pass or drive into opposing territory, he did not look comfortable in the same way Wilson does. The burly Yorkshireman had one first-half header off target in his most meaningful contri-bution.

The second half meandered on the same pattern the first half finished with the ball spending more time pinging between the opposing defenders than in any threatening areas. The one saving grace was the performance of Mackay-Steven, who showed a purpose and flair when he got the ball, constantly looking to beat his man down the flank. He looks to have recaptured the form that made him one of Scotland’s hottest prospects.

Wilson was substituted just after the hour to a hearty reception from the Pittodrie faithful, who showed an appreciation for the striker’s input on what was his first competitive start in six months.

He will take time to hit his stride and hopefully luck will allow him an injury-free run.

The win, meanwhile, will raise spirits a little ahead of tomorrow night’s pivotal Betfred Cup tie against Hibs.