‘Well boss Mark McGhee believes his side can be positive going in to tomorrow night’s match with Aberdeen.
The Steelmen are currently two matches unbeaten in the Ladbrokes Premiership and the manager is confident ahead of the important league clash.
Aberdeen are tangled in what appears to be a poor run due to the Dons high standards, but that isn’t something that McGhee refuses to read in to.
Speaking to the press this morning, he said: “Even though it was only ten minutes, we got a flavour of it up there and we felt competitive so I think we’ll give them a good game.
“They are no doubt one of the top four teams and will finish in the top four, so it will be a difficult game.
“But we’re at home, generally we’ve been doing well at home so I think we can be positive going in to the game and we’ll do well.”
He added: “I don’t really know about their difficulties – they lost against Ross County but they had a couple of draws too.
[pullquote] We’ve just got to assume that they’ll be at their best, they have a great pitch to come here and play on so they will maybe be thinking that they can come here and get back their form but we have to make sure that they don’t.[/pullquote]
“I’ve said it about us all, and it includes the top teams as well, but what happens in one game practically has no relevance on the next game. We can all go from winning one game to losing the next and so on and it will be no different for Aberdeen.
“We’ve just got to assume that they’ll be at their best, they have a great pitch to come here and play on so they will maybe be thinking that they can come here and get back their form but we have to make sure that they don’t.”
This is the third meeting between the clubs over the last few weeks, yet is the first league clash this season.
Following the trip north earlier this month, which was cut short due to floodlight problems at Pittodrie, the two U20s sides met and Stephen Craigan’s youngsters caught wide spread attention when they stormed to a 1-9 victory up in Montrose on Tuesday night.
McGhee insists the game plan will be different tomorrow compared with how he had set up his team for the match that was eventually abandoned.
[pullquote] It will be hard to second guess how they will set up because once you go on what is deemed to be a poor run, you look to see how you can change it and that can mean personnel or shape.[/pullquote]
He said: “It won’t be the same game plan as we had at Pittodrie when the game was abandoned.
“It will be hard to second guess how they will set up because once you go on what is deemed to be a poor run, you look to see how you can change it and that can mean personnel or shape.”
He added: “With the way we set up there a few weeks back they’ll maybe not be sure how we’ll line up tomorrow night either.”
And on the phenomenal 9-1 victory over Aberdeen U20s midweek, the manager said: “We just wish we’d all been there, and the pleasing thing with the result is the fact there were no overage players playing, and in fact the two senior members of that squad – Jack McMillan and Ross MacLean weren’t playing either.
“So from that point of view I think that shows you the good work that’s going on in terms of recruitment, development and the work that Stephen Craigan is doing – really a good job.”
He added: “A couple of those youngsters have been included and been on the bench, I don’t think that they’re quite ready but I think our introduction of these players to the team has to be incremental.”
“We have to just dip out toes in the water and for us to make up the numbers for the squad on any given Saturday, it relies on a percentage of those boys so they will get their chances.”