The mood around Greenhill Road is certainly better than it was this time last week. Sunday's last gasp draw with Motherwell was followed up by Wednesday's thumping of Ayr United so we should travel north with a fair bit of confidence. It won't be easy - especially as we played during the week and Aberdeen didn't - but if we play like we did after conceding on Sunday or the way we did for most of Wednesday night then we have a great chance of coming away with a result.
Our record against Aberdeen under Danny Lennon is actually surprisingly good. We've only lost to them once in the league since he took charge, although they did annoyingly put us out of the Scottish Cup in a Pittodrie replay after we failed to see them off in Paisley. But that aside we've had four wins over them in two seasons and the rest of the games have been draws. Only one of the victories was at Pittodrie - our first there for 25 years.
Aberdeen are, like ourselves, trying to make the jump up from bottom to top six this season although arguably have more of a chance to due to the quality of their squad. However, some people seem to be getting a bit carried away and believe they'll be in with a shot of taking second place. I can't see it - they are a decent enough side but the likes of Hearts, Motherwell and Dundee United are far better equipped to finish best of the rest. Making the top half of the table and possibly snatching one of the European spots is surely the best they can hope for.
Lewis Guy currently has a perfect scoring record for Saints with two goals in two games and will surely keep his place for tomorrow. Wednesday was the first time he's had a chance to play alongside Steven Thompson in a competitive fixture and the pair worked well. They're likely to be the first choice partnership this season and could cause Aberdeen some problems. Gary Teale also came in and did well, scoring against his old side, so may have done enough to keep his place. The same could go for David Barron, although David van Zanten came on and almost scored a worldie.
The problem with going with the same team is it leaves some pretty handy players on the bench. Dougie Imrie has been superb this season but was rested on Wednesday night and may be left kicking his heels again. Jon Robertson has also impressed at times but may also be among the subs. It's a decent problem to have and makes a change from putting out a certain team because it's the only one available. Darren McGregor and Grant Adam are still out while new signing Paul Dummett is likely to be on the bench.
This season is surely make or break time for Craig Brown. Since he took over at Pittodrie at the tail end of 2010 he has often remarked on how it isn't really his squad. Each transfer window has seen a fair bit of business so there are certainly no excuses on that front for him any more - and it's debatable whether he'll last another season if the Dons once again fail to make the top six. Their start this season has been typical Brown - solid but unspectacular. They lost the first game to Celtic then managed a couple of draws either side of beating St Johnstone. They're still looking for their first home win of the season and we will probably help out with that tomorrow.
In Brown's latter days in charge of Scotland his teams weren't exactly the most attacking out there and last season the same went for his Aberdeen side. At least he had a fairly solid defence, with Andrew Considine's form improving dramatically and Russell Anderson returning to his first team following a few years in the football wilderness due to injury. Mark Reynolds also did well on loan from Sheffield Wednesday and has returned for another spell while Gary Naysmith has been brought in to ensure they do have a fullback although may miss tomorrow through injury.
In fairness Brown has taken steps to fix the problems up front, although the onus will be on top scorer Scott Vernon to continue his fine form of recent years. Johnny Hayes should prove a good signing and adds some energy to a side that was a bit pedestrian at times last year, while Niall McGinn comes in from Celtic. Brown plans using him up front rather than out wide and he could be a decent partner for Vernon. He was rather harshly treated at Celtic, basically forgotten about after Neil Lennon took over, and will be looking to prove a point this season. We should also watch out for Cammy Smith, who has been likened to Dennis Bergkamp, and Ryan Fraser, who is the new Jimmy Johnstone. Not that Brown likes putting pressure on his younger players!
There are a few other decent players in midfield. Gavin Rae spent the start of last season at Dundee but should never have been playing in the first division, his January switch to Aberdeen coming as no real surprise. The arrival of Stephen Hughes was a bit more surprising considering he'd already turned down a move to Pittodrie earlier in the campaign, while Robert Milsom and Isaah Osbourne are still kicking about. So too is Chris Clark, who returned to the club after a spell down south and is still capable of causing a few problems.
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