Aberdeen boss Barry Robson wants his players to continue to go into 50-50 challenges – despite the controversial red card to Graeme Shinnie.
Captain Shinnie was sent off after a 50-50 challenge with Jack Baldwin during injury-time in the 1-0 away win at Ross County.
Robson insists his captain should not have been sent off as Shinnie won the ball and tried to pull his leg away during the challenge.
The Dons gaffer says he will never take the will to win 50-50 challenges out of his side, sayin: “That’s what we are”.
Robson will discuss whether or not to appeal Shinnie’s red card with the club’s hierarchy.
He said: “The one thing I will say is that every one of the players that play for me and Aberdeen Football Club will go into that challenge.
“I want that and I will never take that out of us.
“That’s what we are. That’s what we want to be.
“We will go into that challenge.”
‘I am not angry with Graeme – that’s what I want from my players’
Aberdeen skipper Shinnie was dismissed on the night he marked his 200th appearance for Aberdeen.
The midfielder is in his second spell at the club having joined on loan until the end of the season from Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic.
Shinnie had only just returned from a one-game suspension, having also been sent off in the recent 1-0 win St Johnstone.
That dismissal in Perth, for two yellows, was the first red card in Shinnie’s career.
Shinnie is now set to be suspended for Sunday’s Premiership clash at Pittodrie against Rangers.
Robson said: “I don’t think it was a bad challenge. I think it is part of the game.
“When he went in for the tackle, he won the ball first and it bounced off him.
“You can see he tried to pull his leg away.
“Graeme didn’t deserve to be sent off.
“I am not angry with Graeme at all – that’s what I want from players.
“Don’t get me wrong, if it’s a dangerous challenge or someone goes over the top, yes 100 percent I get that.
“That was a good challenge for me.”
Aberdeen making speed count
A Duk goal in the first half continued the Dons impressive winning streak.
Cape Verde international Duk has now scored six times in the last five games to take his tally for the season to 18 goals.
That form has not gone unnoticed.
A host of English and Italian teams are tracking the 23-year-old with the view to a potential summer transfer window move.
Duk is contracted to the Dons until summer 2025.
In-form Aberdeen have now won seven of the nine games Robson has managed.
Robson took over as interim boss following the sacking of Jim Goodwin on January 28.
The Dons board recently confirmed Robson would be manager until at least the end of the season.
The win in Dingwall was also Aberdeen’s fifth clean sheet in the last six games – all wins.
Robson said: “A lot of the people have seen the team over the last six to eight weeks and we look really good on the transition.
“We look so quick. And that happened for us again at Ross County, going at teams at speed.
“That’s where the game was won.
“However, it was really hard to get into the game when Ross County put so many balls on top of you as they did.
“But we stood up to it and dealt with it.”
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