Any lingering dreams the Dons might have had of maintaining a serious challenge to Celtic’s dominance of Scottish football were dispelled on a stormy night at Pittodrie in midweek.
Unlike their previous meeting in the League Cup semi-final, Aberdeen were not blown away, but the champions did what they normally do, and Reo Hatate’s late goal was enough to secure the victory.
With gap now stretched to seven points, and Brendan Rodgers’s side holding a game in hand, there is no way back, and the biggest issue for the Dons will be holding on to second place.
Rangers have put together a bit of a run since losing at Pittodrie, culminating with their thrashing of Kilmarnock on Wednesday, and they are now closing in.
Having collected just two points from their last four matches – albeit what was always likely to be a demanding run of fixtures – Aberdeen desperately need to steady the ship and have the opportunity to do so this month with a run of winnable games.
Back-to-back home meetings with St Johnstone and Hibernian will be followed by trips to Rugby Park and Tannadice. Up until a fortnight ago, that would have been a sequence to look forward to with relish, but the confidence will likely have dipped, and if so, the players need to rediscover it quickly.
Sitting on 33 points after 15 games has still been a very acceptable start to Jimmy Thelin’s reign, but such was the excellence of the first few months, there is understandably some disappointment at the recent turn of events.
If the campaign is not to start to drift away, he will want to arrest the slide imminently, and this afternoon is the ideal time to do so.
The Perth Saints have been somewhat up and down since Simo Valakari took over, winning three and losing four, but no-one has given them a heavy beating during his time in charge, and a couple of the losses would have to go into the ‘unlucky’ category.
They do look more solid at the back, and the Dons front line is going to have to be firing on all cylinders if they are to find a way through.
In the main, that has not been an issue this season, and Jimmy has a few options he can deploy, but whoever he selects, the onus will be on them to perform.
St Johnstone have had a habit of plundering points from Pittodrie in recent seasons, and have won four times at the stadium in the past six years. That is warning enough, but added to any possible fragility about Aberdeen right now, it becomes potentially an even more dangerous match.
It does feel like one the Dons have to win, and certainly not one they can afford to lose.
If they do so, all the good work over the first four months could very quickly start to unravel, and that would clearly be hugely disappointing.
We all knew such a spell would arrive at some point, and I am sure the manager remains as composed and controlled as he was throughout the run of unblemished success. His demeanour will be important, he is the leader the players will look to, and it is important he retains the self-belief and assurance he has shown since being appointed.
Excitement at the Broch
Following their Scottish Cup heroics last Saturday, Fraserburgh got their dream draw in the fourth round with the trip to Ibrox in January set to land the Bellslea Park club a financial bonanza.
I suggested last week they would fancy their chances against Annan Athletic, and Mark Cowie’s team rose to the occasion to pull off a memorable victory.
Elgin City were also in on the action, knocking out a very decent Kelty Hearts side, and their reward is a mouth-watering meeting with Aberdeen at Borough Briggs. It will not quite be the money-spinner Fraserburgh can anticipate, but it will still be a lucrative one for the League Two leaders, and a massive occasion for them.
Brechin City were handed a similar tie, with Hearts due to visit Glebe Park, which – like the Fraserburgh match – was also selected for TV coverage.
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