Aberdeen’s 4-1 victory over Motherwell was a battle cry in their fight for third in the Premiership – while defeat for Ross County saw their top-six hopes end with a whimper.
Saturday was a really convincing win for the Dons.
They have come back to form at the perfect moment, capturing the performance levels of their early-season winning run and keeping themselves within touching distance of third-place rivals Hibs (who are also flying).
After losing the early goal against Well, Jimmy Thelin’s team retaliated in comprehensive fashion.
Now-red-hot striker Kevin Nisbet scored another two good goals, with the second one a screamer.
And Leighton Clarkson’s goal to make it 2-1 was obviously – as Clarkson later confirmed – something the Reds had worked on in training.
You can always tell if a rehearsed set-play has come off from the giddy looks on the players’ faces afterwards, although the goal still required a sumptuous finish from the midfielder.
Aberdeen had more than 60% possession on Saturday, but what counts – unlike during their struggles in the middle of the campaign – is the Dons have found the formula again to do something with it.
The midfield duo of Clarkson and Ante Palaversa were fantastic at the weekend and looked levels above the Scottish top-flight at times with the quality of some of their play.
Switch suits skipper
Graeme Shinnie, back where he started his career at left-back, also impressed me.
In his years playing in midfield, Graeme’s energy, rather than his technical ability, has been his great strength.
Of course, he has always had a tendency to pick up a lot of bookings, as it is a position where his head gets turned and twisted and he has tended to throw himself into challenges.
His energy, though, looks perfect for the left-back role under Thelin.
It is the position Graeme played when I first came across him at Inverness. He made the role his own at Caley Thistle for a number of years, and while he will tell you he is happy wherever he is asked to play, I’ve always preferred him there.
It is a win-win for Aberdeen – because it keeps the club captain in the team at this stage in his career, while filling a role which has been a bit of a problem this term and also creating the space for the more technical talents of Clarkson and Palaversa in the middle of the park.
Staggies lacked spark
Aberdeen’s cutting edge was contrasted by County’s bluntness in their Sunday defeat at home to Dundee United.
It wasn’t a great game, but I agreed with Don Cowie’s assessment – it always felt like the visitors showed the little bit of threat at set-plays or from open-play – while the Staggies were lacking.
Starting County striker Alex Samuel had a shot saved from point-blank range in the home side’s only real effort of note, and they need to find the formula to create more chances.
For me, forward Samuel, while he is a handful, should be more of an impact substitute, and I would hope to see Ronan Hale back in the starting line-up when Aberdeen are in Dingwall on Saturday.
Sunday’s loss all-but-ended Cowie’s side’s top-half prospects, so the aim for the Staggies now needs to be finishing the campaign comfortably, as consolidating their Premiership status would still be progress on the perilous conclusions to the last couple of seasons.
Caley Thistle must try to focus on League One table
Prospective Caley Thistle buyer Alan Savage has said he is hopeful financially-troubled ICT can be a solid, mid-table Championship club in two years’ time…
What I would say to everyone at Inverness right now is: Focus on where the club could be in two weeks’ time!
Savage has given a deadline of two weeks for his takeover bid to be accepted, and credit to everyone involved if a deal to save the club is done by then, given what we have been told about the disparate shareholding and so on.
However, on the park, Caley Thistle – with five games to go – are still too near to the nightmare scenario needing the play-offs to avoid relegation to League Two at the end of the campaign.
At one stage, it looked like Scott Kellacher’s team were on course to overcome their 15-point administration deduction and secure their League One status in slightly more laidback fashion.
But the weekend’s results mean the eighth-placed Highlanders are now only above ninth-placed Annan Athletic – and those dreaded play-offs – on goal difference.
If we’re talking about Inverness being in the second tier two years from now, they cannot allow off-field matters – pressing as they are – to distract from dropping into the fourth-tier on the park.
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