Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin and his players passed their first test with flying colours after bouncing back from their day to forget at Hampden in emphatic style on Saturday.
There was genuine curiosity in Scottish football at just how much impact the 6-0 Premier Sports Cup mauling by Celtic in the semi-final would have at Pittodrie.
The answer was brief – very little.
Saturday’s 4-1 win against Dundee was not plain sailing.
The Dons, by their manager’s own admission, were too open and disjointed in the first half against Tony Docherty’s Dark Blues.
Had it not been for Dimitar Mitov’s penalty save just before the break, then perhaps a very different take would be required.
For sure, the manager’s half-time team talk would have been very different.
But Mitov’s concentration and spot-kick heroics speaks to a bigger picture at Pittodrie – this Aberdeen team are made of strong stuff.
Dundee could not keep up with the Dons’ second half onslaught
It was a pivotal save from the Bulgarian international not just because it kept the game goalless, but it also afforded the Dons the chance to regroup and refocus for the second half.
What followed was a blistering second half display which overwhelmed Dundee.
As has been the case so often, the team effort won out in a manner which has become the norm this season.
The goal burden was shared with four different scorers and the manager’s substitutes came on and played leading roles.
It feels it happens on a weekly basis at this point, and the fact Pittodrie has been sold-out for the last four home games tells you all you need to know about the mood among the support right now.
The defining week of the season looms after the international break
Aberdeen’s excellent league form has kept them riding high at the summit of the Scottish Premiership going into another international break – but even greater tests lie ahead.
When the domestic action resumes, the Dons will return to a mammoth triple-header – and all three games will be away from Pittodrie.
A trip to St Mirren kicks things off on Saturday, November 23, followed by a midweek visit to Easter Road to face Hibernian, before Aberdeen return to Auld Reekie on Sunday, December 1, to face Hearts at Tynecastle.
The Dons mustered five points from a possible 18 in their six visits to the three clubs last season.
A point in a 2-2 draw at Paisley in August and a 4-0 hammering of Hibs at Easter Road in May was sandwiched by four defeats in-between.
The Red Army believe this is a new Aberdeen, unburdened by the ghosts of campaigns past, and the results so far certainly reinforce that belief.
Aberdeen have overwhelmed teams at Pittodrie in impressive fashion and the results on the road have been no less impressive.
As a result, the queue of clubs lining up to knock the Dons off their perch is growing.
Celtic did so in the League Cup, but even they were given a run for their money in the league as Thelin’s Dons rallied from 2-0 down to earn a point at Celtic Park last month.
But three wins on the spin in a week would be the biggest message of intent yet.
Put it this way, if the Dons return from their trips to Paisley and Edinburgh with nine points then there will be no more debate.
We will know this Aberdeen side is the real deal.
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