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Richard Gordon: Aberdeen can rise to the challenge of bouncing back from Hampden humbling

The P&J columnist looks ahead to the visit of Dundee to Pittodrie - one week after a tough League Cup semi-final.

Aberdeen's Topi Keskinen (centre) looks dejected during the match against Celtic. Image: SNS.
Aberdeen's Topi Keskinen (centre) looks dejected during the match against Celtic. Image: SNS.

With the latest international break just around the corner, this evening gives the Dons the chance to sign off with a morale-lifting victory as they attempt to bounce back from their Hampden horror show.

Last Saturday was a chastening experience at the national stadium as the side was overrun by a rampant Celtic.

Brendan Rodgers and his team clearly felt they had something to prove after last month’s 2-2 draw, and they certainly did that.

The semi-final felt quite similar to that one, the difference being that Celtic were utterly ruthless, and made the most of their opportunities.

In the league match, they had 32 shots, seven of which were on target, while at Hampden they fashioned just 12 efforts, but crucially, eight were on target, and half a dozen found the net.

Aberdeen had considerably more possession in the semi, but were unable to make any real tangible use of that, and after the three-goal blitz before the interval were a well beaten side.

Jimmy Thelin and his staff will not forget that, but it has to be pushed aside for now and cannot be allowed to derail what has been an outstanding league campaign. The frailties which were so clinically exposed will have been addressed, but he will also, I am sure, have been focusing on the many positives to come out of the season, and there will be a determination to get back on track quickly.

That is what Celtic did when they suffered a similar thrashing, the 7-1 demolition in Dortmund, and Rodgers’ team are unbeaten in seven games since, culminating in another outstanding display midweek against Leipzig.

Celtic’s Nicolas Kuhn (L) and Aberdeen’s Luis Lopes in action during the Premier Sports Cup semi-final match. Image: SNS. 

They were battered and bruised, but came out fighting, and Jimmy is going to expect the same response from his side.

After Dundee at Pittodrie, the Dons are on the road with successive away games against St Mirren, Hibernian and Hearts before the return meeting with the champions.

The target will be to keep tracking Celtic until then, and with the Glasgow team playing one fewer match during that time, there is even the opportunity to be top of the table ahead of the Pittodrie showdown.

That will not be easy, but the league record so far suggests this Aberdeen team is capable of rising to the challenge, and it would be a major psychological boost should they do so.

Overcoming Celtic that night will be an even bigger task, and the manager will certainly have to have something of a rethink in terms of his approach, but that is for the future; for now, all his energies will have been channelled into getting his players fully ready for the visit of the Dens Park outfit.

Dundee have had a bit of an up and down campaign so far, but are in the top six, and dug deep last weekend to pull off an outrageous victory over Kilmarnock. Tony Docherty will have them well-schooled, and his side do carry a threat, which is something the Dons will be well aware of.

The 90 minutes could have a significant bearing on how the rest of the season pans out, and I will be interested to see how the Aberdeen players react.

Deserved award for Cove duo

Cove Rangers’ impressive run of results was acknowledged this week with an October double, the League One manager and player awards going to Paul Hartley and top-scorer Mitch Megginson respectively.

Having also notched his 100th goal in Scottish League football during the month, it was deserved recognition for the striker, who has been leading the line superbly of late, but he would be the first to admit he had serious competition from within his own team.

Cove striker Mitch Megginson. Image: Jasperimage.

Cove have not conceded in four matches, and the likes of Will Gillingham, Ryan Harrington and Mikey Doyle have all been in fine form. Goalkeeper Balint Demus has also been outstanding and pulled off a series of excellent saves at Dumbarton last week.

The division remains ridiculously tight, and keeping the run going will not be easy, but there’s a feelgood factor at Balmoral Stadium right now, and they will be desperate to maintain that as long as possible.

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