I’m a lot happier with Aberdeen after the 3-0 Scottish Cup win against Dunfermline Athletic.
It was a tie everyone expected Aberdeen to win but Queen’s Park’s victory against Rangers at Ibrox shows you can’t take anything for granted.
The Dons played well, got the job done and made it through to the quarter-finals.
We could have scored more and we are desperately needing a good striker who can score goals. Kevin Nisbet got a goal at the weekend but he still appears to be lacking in confidence.
He seems to do a lot of work outside the box, whereas I prefer a striker whose main focus is getting into the penalty area and getting on the end of crosses.
If Oday Dabbagh’s work permit comes through in time, I would put him straight in from the start against Dundee if he felt fit to play.
The best player on the park against Dunfermline was Alexander Jensen.
He is very good at getting the ball and quickly whipping a good cross into the middle.
I would certainly liked to have played alongside someone like that who is putting good crosses into the box before defenders can get settled.
He did it a few times against Dunfermline but there was no one there to take advantage, which must have been frustrating for him.
I used to always tell my teammates I wanted the ball played into the penalty area as early as possible.
And because I knew my teammates would try to do that I would usually have a head-start on the defender who was marking me, who maybe wasn’t expecting an early cross.
Will Jensen remain on the right?
It will be interesting to see if Jimmy Thelin makes any changes to the team for the trip to Dundee.
Nicky Devlin, who received a Scotland call-up after his good form earlier in the season, was left on the bench with Jensen deployed at right-back rather than on the left.
Will Jimmy keep Jensen there or move him back to the left for the match at Dens Park?
I expect Jensen will remain at right back.
I was impressed by Mats Knoester in the centre of defence. He looks a good addition.
The defence looked tighter and I liked that they were getting the ball forward quickly rather than passing the ball along the defence.
The reward for the win was another home tie against Queen’s Park. It is a very good draw for Aberdeen and a great chance to get to another Hampden semi-final.
It won’t be easy as Queen’s Park will head to Pittodrie with plenty of confidence following their Ibrox heroics.
But it is a magnificent opportunity for Jimmy Thelin and the players to take another step towards success in a cup competition.
The focus, now, however should firmly be on Dundee and ending this long run of league games without a win.
Dundee have struggled in the league with successive 6-0 defeats against Hearts and Celtic. They bounced back with a 4-0 win against Airdrieonians in the cup last weekend but Saturday’s encounter will be a big match for both teams.
If Aberdeen can produce another strong display then they can get that league win they so badly need.
I expect it could turn into a bit of a battle and it may come down to who wants it more on the day.
Hopefully the cup win will have given the players some extra belief and they can go to Dundee and start building momentum with a win.
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