Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin has confirmed he wielded the axe on his starting XI against Hearts in a bid to keep his squad mentally and physically fresh.
Thelin made six changes for the 1-1 draw against the Premiership’s bottom club at Tynecastle.
It was the Dons third away game in just eight days after also facing Hibs (3-3) and St Mirren (2-1 loss) on the road.
In a bid to end a mini-winless slump, Thelin rang the changes for the trip to Tynecastle, where the Dons have not won since 2017.
Thelin brought in centre-back Angus MacDonald and left-back James McGarry for their first Premiership starts of the season.
He also elevated Leighton Clarkson, Ante Palaversa, Ester Sokler and Shayen Morris to the starting line-up at Hearts.
Dropping to the bench were captain Graeme Shinnie, Kevin Nisbet, Duk, Slobodan Rubezic and Topi Keskinen.
Left-back Jack MacKenzie was ruled out by injury.
Asked why he made so many changes, Thelin said: “We had two difficult games at St Mirren and Hibernian, and then we had to go away again at Hearts, so I felt we needed to try to be up there not only in the body, but also in the mind.
“We needed to bring some freshness inside the team.
“That’s why we have a good squad.
“And it’s good to see the players who haven’t played so much do so well on the pitch.
“That’s also good for the future for us.”
Mitov and McGarry injury concerns
In starting against Hearts, New Zealand international full-back McGarry made his first Premiership appearance under Thelin.
McGarry last featured when coming off the bench in a 1-0 Premier Sports Cup win against Queen’s Park on August 17.
The 26-year-old full-back was forced off with a hamstring problem in the second half against Hearts.
With MacKenzie missing the Tynecastle match due to injury, the left-back position could be a concern ahead of the clash with Celtic at Pittodrie on Wednesday.
Thelin said “I think it was more a hit (on McGarry).
“I’m not so worried about his hamstring, but let’s see.”
Thelin also faces a sweat on the fitness of keeper Dimitar Mitov, who was taken off due to injury at half-time against Hearts.
Bulgarian international Mitov was replaced by Ross Doohan, who has started just one game this season.
That solitary start was in the 4-0 Premier Sports Cup group stage win against non-league East Kilbride on July 20.
‘The journey is long term’ for Aberdeen
Aberdeen will bid to end a now-three-game winless streak when facing Premiership leaders Celtic on Wednesday.
Celtic are unbeaten in the Premiership with 12 wins from 13 games.
Their only dropped points came when Aberdeen fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Parkhead in October.
Thelin is not overly concerned at taking just two points from the last three games – as he is looking at the bigger picture.
Thelin said: “This is the first quarter of the first season.
“Our journey is long-term, so we have a lot of things to improve.
“That’s what we’re trying to do every week, and grow with that.
“From day one, we want to grow and we need to grow to be stable, season over season.
“I liked the way the players approached the game as they really tried to find the winning goal against Hearts.
“It was a tricky game.
“We have fought hard in two games in Edinburgh, now we have to recover and prepare for the next game.
“Of course, we want more than two draws, but we also have to respect the opponent as it is not easy.”
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