Aberdeen fans are daring to dream of what might be this season but I’m not allowing myself to get carried away just yet.
The Dons supporters were understandably jubilant following Kevin Nisbet’s dramatic injury-time goal in the 1-0 win at Ross County on Saturday.
The victory took Jimmy Thelin’s side top of the Scottish Premiership before Celtic moved back to the top of the pile thanks to a 3-0 win against Rangers at Celtic Park on Sunday.
The Hoops’ emphatic victory means they are neck and neck with the Dons on 12 points with Dundee United four points behind in third place.
Having opened up a five-point lead on Rangers Aberdeen have made a terrific start to the season and already whispers of this being the season the Dons split the big two are being made.
But I doubt Dons boss Thelin is entertaining that sort of talk so early in the campaign.
Europe is the goal for Thelin
Aberdeen are in a good place while Rangers have been slow out the blocks.
But there is a long way to go and all it takes are a couple of draws or defeats and the picture for the picture to change pretty quickly.
For me, the teams I expect Thelin is keeping tabs on are in the bottom half of the table right now as a return to Europe next summer is the aim.
St Mirren, Hearts and Kilmarnock, who all qualified for Europe last season, are all struggling right now.
Killie and the Jambos in particular, have yet to get off the mark.
For the Dons to have an 11 point lead on both of them at this early stage is a huge shock.
An advantage of that margin this early represents the confidence levels at the clubs but I guess nine wins in a row will do that for a team.
Confidence fuelled by momentum
Aberdeen’s relentless and impressive start to the season came mighty close to hitting its first bump in the road in Dingwall though.
Truth be told, it was a poor game and I don’t think either side did enough to warrant taking all three points.
There were some flashpoints and key moments but for most of the game there wasn’t much happening.
Both sides had goals chalked off while Dimitar Mitov’s penalty save from Ronan Hale was one of the best spot kick saves I’ve seen in years.
Then there was Nisbet’s goal. It was a moment of class from a player who has returned to Scotland trying to revive his career after a different time in England.
Watching it back he has the presence to let Nicky Devlin know to leave Shayden Morris’ cutback before deftly guiding the ball into the net to spark wild scenes of celebration.
What happened after that was pure unadulterated joy from the Red Army as Dons fans piled onto the pitch to celebrate their good fortune.
It was dangerous with so many County players in the penalty box and no doubt Aberdeen will be punished by the authorities for that.
I don’t condone fans running onto the pitch to celebrate but there’s also part of me which enjoys seeing the glee which follows a team scoring a 97th minute winner.
County can take positives
While Aberdeen left with the points Ross County boss Don Cowie can take a lot of heart from his side’s performance against the Dons.
It has been a horrendous couple of weeks for the County faithful after seeing their side stunned by Spartans in the Premier Sports Cup before being hammered 6-0 by Rangers at Hampden.
But the reaction to those setbacks was very impressive against an in-form Aberdeen.
Nine times out of 10 Hale’s penalty would have nestled in the back of the net too. If I was the Staggies striker I would not be changing my approach with my next spot kick.
Low and hard in the corner will get the job done more often than not – it just so happens the Staggies striker was denied by a wonder-save.
The international break has probably come at a good time for County.
They can regroup and focus on their next two league games against Dundee and St Johnstone, both of which are at home.
They should be feeling a whole lot more optimistic following their performance against Aberdeen at the weekend.
A step in the right direction for Caley Thistle
Caley Thistle are another team who I hope are turning a corner after recording their first win of the season on Saturday.
It has been a slow start to League One for Duncan Ferguson’s side but Saturday’s 1-0 win against Queen of the South has moved Inverness to within three points of the top.
It’s a measure of just how competitive the division is going to be this season. Every point is going to be hard-earned but it seems clear that any team which can string three or four wins together is going to move up the table quickly.
Billy Mckay’s goal was a welcome step in the right direction but I’d like to see more of a goal threat in the weeks ahead.
The Caley Thistle manager has a strong defence but nicking games by the odd goal every week is a risky strategy for a club which harbours hopes of winning promotion this season.
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