Aberdeen fans were warned Jimmy Thelin’s project might be one which requires patience to bear fruit. That, it would appear, applies within games just as much as between them.
It may be considered premature grumbles of discontent began to gather even before half-time in Thelin’s first home match, but the incipient boos were understandable.
Not so much because the Dons were trailing, but because, on the surface, they thoroughly deserved to be.
However sparky, bold and unafraid Airdrie are, they are still a lower league side. That they did not present as one in the first half owed plenty to their own qualities, but as much again to the degree to which Aberdeen were content to let them play.
That is a feature, not a bug. Though it has been football fashion in recent years to prioritise possession, it is not a theory to which Thelin subscribes. It matters less how long you keep the ball, he would argue, than where you put it when you do.
And within minutes of the restart, he was proved right. Three touches by Leighton Clarkson, across 12 seconds, and a second-to-last man turnover was converted into the evening’s decisive act.
Aberdeen did not particularly strive to leverage their Premiership status on their opponents, but ensured they were in position to take everything that was on offer, whenever it arrived.
This will be a different viewing experience at Pittodrie – tongues may occasionally need to be bitten.
Whether it meets with consistent success remains to be seen.
There will be plenty of top-flight visitors to Aberdeen who do not try to be as free and expansive as Airdrie, and that may require a different gameplan to avoid stalemate.
For now, though, the job is a good one.
Dangers avoided, qualification within touching distance.
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