Interim boss Neil Warnock has told Aberdeen’s players to stop feeling sorry for themselves ahead of a crunch Scottish Cup showdown with Kilmarnock.
Warnock says the squad were down and confidence low after suffering a dramatic late collapse in the 2-1 loss at St Mirren.
The Dons were on course to deliver Warnock a first Premiership win at the sixth time of asking when leading 1-0 at St Mirren after the regulation 90 minutes.
However they suffered a disastrous implosion when conceding twice in stoppage time.
Warnock says he woke up screaming at 2am on Sunday morning, haunted by that St Mirren late nightmare.
He has told the players to put that Paisley pain behind them to bounce back by booking a semi-final slot at Hampden.
Warnock said: “Obviously last Saturday night and Sunday were not great, you can imagine the disappointment in the camp.
“Especially in my house, I think I woke up at 2am screaming!
“It was bad, but if it wasn’t bad then there’s something wrong with you.
“I told the players at the start of the week to stop feeling sorry for themselves, it’s gone now and we have to look forward.
“You have to get on with it, we’re very lucky to be in this job working for a club like this.
“So you have to move on and try to put a smile back on the fans’ faces.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to do that in the cup this weekend so that’s what we’ve been working towards.”
Aberdeen cannot be bullied by Killie
Saturday’s Scottish Cup clash is a match of huge significance as Aberdeen’s Premiership freefall has seen the club slump to 10th in the league.
Just four points ahead of the relegation play off zone, being dragged into a scrap to avoid the drop is a stark possibility.
Securing a semi-final spot would bring some respite from the pressures of the league and keep hopes of salvaging the season alive.
Former Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes, sacked by the Pittodrie board in March 2021, will return to Pittodrie gunning for a fourth straight win over the Reds this season.
McInnes has already overseen three wins from three Premiership games against the Dons, with the Rugby Park side sitting fourth in the league table.
In the aftermath of a 2-0 loss at Kilmarnock last month Warnock slated the Dons as being too nice, lacking physicality and bullied.
He will demand a response to those comments on Saturday.
Warnock said: “We’ve had some good sessions this week and are looking forward to having a go.
“Killie have beaten us three times this season and I don’t think we’ve scored a goal against them.
“So that’s something we need to change.
“We have to give them a better game.”
Warnock’s meeting with Dons squad
Aberdeen have yet to win a Premiership match under Warnock with a return of just two points from a possible 18.
The Dons are without a win in the league since returning from the winter break in January.
However Warnock has delivered a victory, in the Scottish Cup, when overcoming lower league Bonnyrigg Rose in his second game in charge.
He accepts confidence is low but securing a semi-final berth at Hampden can repair the Reds’ fragile belief.
Warnock said: “I think confidence has been low for a couple of weeks.
“Confidence comes with winning games.
“Our mood obviously wasn’t so good on Sunday, but we had a chat with them on Monday
“There was no sulking on Monday, just straight into it.
“That’s what you’ve got to do.
“They’ve been very positive this week.
“The St Mirren game was the best we’ve played since I came in.
“I’ve never been so confident as I was there because I couldn’t see them scoring.
“We had some opportunities to score but didn’t take them and it wasn’t to be.
“In the end we had to take the pain.”
Conversation