After months of torture, and the worst run of league results in the history of the club, it might be that the Dons’ luck is finally beginning to change.
Certainly, if the Scottish Cup is anything to go by, the signs are that fortune is favouring them.
Having been pitted against League Two Elgin City, then at home to Dunfermline, Monday night’s draw gave Aberdeen another Pittodrie tie against Championship opposition.
Absolutely nothing can be taken for granted, particularly given what Queen’s Park achieved at Ibrox, but it was as beneficial a fixture as they might have anticipated, and a Hampden return is there for the taking.
Callum Davidson’s team will head for the north-east full of confidence, and rightly so.
Their victory over Rangers was historic in so many ways, and the stats it produced were mind-boggling. It was as impressive a defensive display as I have seen of late, and they even survived the concession of a penalty deep into stoppage time.
The fact that Calum Ferrie pulled off another superb save would have made the win all the sweeter.
In my time covering the game, it was right up there in terms of giant-killing acts, and it cast further gloom over the Govan club at a time when Philippe Clement appeared finally to be righting the ship.
The Scottish Cup was their last realistic hope of winning domestic silverware this season, and that will mean by the end of the campaign, Rangers will have won just three of the last 43 major Scottish trophies on offer.
That run began with Celtic’s Scottish Cup triumph in 2011, and since then, St Johnstone have won as many honours as the Ibrox side. That must be close to the most barren run Rangers have ever experienced.
The Dons have been similarly disappointing when it comes to lifting trophies – just two League Cups since the Scottish Cup victory in 1990 – and ending that sequence at the national stadium in May would be a very welcome conclusion to the season.
That has to go on the backburner for now though, with full focus on finally getting that long-awaited Premiership victory.
Dens Park was, for many years, a happy hunting ground, but after a lengthy unbeaten run at the stadium, they have won just once on their last four visits. That came earlier in the campaign, during the blistering start, and the players might also be able to feed off the fact Dundee were the last team they collected full points from, the 4-1 win at Pittodrie over three months ago.
Tony Docherty’s side were left reeling by back-to-back 6-0 hammerings, but eased through in the Scottish Cup, and having slipped down the table, will be keen to alleviate any potential relegation concerns.
It is another huge challenge for Aberdeen, they all are right now, but the players will have to step up and meet it.
The winless sequence has to stop, and the quicker the better. A victory would at least offer more stability, and give the team a platform from which to salvage the campaign.
Huge defeats don’t reflect well on SWPL
The SWPL is in a strange place right now.
It has the tightest league race in the competition’s history – one of four sides, Glasgow City, Celtic, Rangers or Hibernian could win the title, with Hearts not that far behind – but below that there is little or no competition.
Aberdeen have improved significantly under Scott Booth, but lost 10-0 to Rangers last week, having already been thrashed 11-0 at the start of the campaign.
Rangers women have hit double figures five times this season, including a 14-0 against Queen’s Park, and have also recorded two 9-0 victories.
To give that some context, in my four decades covering Scottish football, no men’s team has ever scored ten in a top-flight league match.
A new format will be introduced for next season, two divisions of ten with the aim of making the SWPL more competitive.
It might help a bit, but unless the other teams are better resourced, I fear the heavy beatings will continue, and that is not a good look for the league.
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