Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin revealed he told his players to “stay calm” at half-time in the comeback win over Airdrie.
The Dons overcame Championship Airdrie 2-1 at Pittodrie in the Premier Sports Cup group stage.
Swede Thelin had to wait 98 days for his Pittodrie dugout debut, having been confirmed as manager on April 16.
His Pittodrie bow did not go to plan in the opening 45 minutes as the Reds trailed 1-0 at half-time due to a Ben Wilson strike.
However, the Dons hit back in the second half through goals from Graeme Shinnie and Leighton Clarkson.
Thelin said: “I’m really happy with how the players responded at half-time.
“They came out and turned around the game with determination and a much more compact and intense team.
“At half-time, I told them to stay calm and do things better as they were too far away from each other.
“So they could not reach them.
“But they were much more intense in the second half with a higher block and winning more duels.
“They also created more chances with fast attacks mixed with good combinations.
“It was much better as a team in the second half.”
The impact of star striker Miovski
Thelin, 46, has won his first three games as Pittodrie boss and Aberdeen top Group A with a maximum nine points.
Star striker Bojan Miovski also made his first appearance of the season as transfer speculation in the 25-year-old ramps up.
Miovski didn’t feature in the first two games in the cup, but came off the bench at half-time against Airdrie.
The striker has been at the centre of transfer talk with clubs across Europe tracking him.
Miovski played a key role in the winning goal with a through-ball to instigate a counter-attack.
Thelin said; “Bojan did really well with his presence and leading the press.
“He is a really good player, so of course he’s going to make an impact when he plays.”
Working during transfer window
Aberdeen will conclude their group stage campaign with a home clash against Dumbarton on Saturday.
Thelin praised Championship Airdrie for pushing the Dons hard.
He said: “We had a really good second half after Airdrie were better than us in the first.
“We played far better and created more chances in the second half.
“We were too spread out as a team and not connected enough.
“Also Airdrie played well as they had some good switches and found a way to get inside our block.”
Thelin has secured four new signings this summer – Dimitar Mitov, Sivert Heltne Nilsen, Gavin Molloy and Peter Ambrose.
All four were secured on long-term permanent contracts.
Mitov, Heltne Nilsen and Molloy started against Airdrie, with Ambrose introduced late on off the bench.
Asked if there is likely to be any imminent signings in the transfer window, Thelin said: “The window is open.
“We always need to be prepared and we are working inside this window.”
Seagulls are ‘extra supporters’
Pittodrie was inundated with hundreds of seagulls swooping over the pitch during game time.
Thelin was surprised at the number of gulls in his first game in the Granite City.
However, he was happy to welcome them into the fanbase.
He said: “It was nice, even the seagulls seemed to enjoy their night.
“Of course I saw them.
“I haven’t seen as many of them in a stadium before.
“They were everywhere, but I didn’t focus on them in the game.
“It was nice to have some extra supporters!”
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