SPFL Premiership: Are Aberdeen over-reliant on Adam Rooney?

Aberdeen are the biggest threat to Celtic’s hopes of retaining the Premiership crown next season. Whether or not Rangers accomplish their aim of returning to the top tier of Scottish football, the Ibrox club won’t be in a position – either in terms of their finances or squad – to challenge their Old Firm rivals. The Dons, however, are closing in. Derek McInnes’ side, with a visit from St Johnstone remaining, are set to finish second with ten more points than last season should they defeat the Perth club. But with Celtic currently 14 points ahead, how do the Dons, with more limited resources, rein in the Hoops?

There are obvious observations: Aberdeen, despite boasting a record similar to Celtic’s against the other ten clubs, suffered four league defeats to Celtic – that’s 12 points in itself; the Dons, having picked up just five points in their final five games of the 2013/14 campaign, started the season with mixed results, losing three of their opening five league encounters; and then there’s the distribution of goals. That’s another important issue for McInnes to address.

Adam Rooney, Aberdeen’s leading scorer in the league, has notched up 18 goals throughout the campaign. That’s 12 more than the second biggest contributor, Peter Pawlett. In total, the Dons have scored 57 goals in 37 games – an average of 1.5 per match compared to the 2.1 of Celtic – which is just five more than Inverness, who lost their leading goal-threat in January, and two more than Dundee United, who are fifth and struggling for consistent form.

Celtic, meanwhile, lack a dependable frontman and still lead the scoring charts. Leigh Griffiths is the Bhoys’ leading scorer with 13, meaning he’s contributed 16% of their overall goals. For Rooney that figure is double. He’s been on the end of 32% of the goals for the Dons. And while it’s good to have a striker capable of such numbers, it raises the question: are Aberdeen too dependent on the Northern Irishman?

For Celtic, if Griffiths is failing to find space – as he likes to hang on the shoulder of the last defender and make incisive runs – Ronny Deila can look to the bench for options, or hope for some help from his three attacking midfielders. Kris Commons, top scorer last season, is on nine in 20 starts, and Celtic boast three other players who’ve scored more than Aberdeen’s second biggest contributor: John Guidetti and Stefan Johansen both have eight, and Anthony Stokes has seven. Each one offers a different type of threat to the opposition. Even the centre-back partners Jason Denayer and Virgil van Dijk have added a combined nine goals to the overall tally. Celtic have options, and that’s such a benefit. In their four league meetings this season, Aberdeen have scored twice. In those same fixtures, Celtic scored nine, and seven different players contributed to that number. Deila isn’t reliant on one player.

McInnes needs to ask for more from his other attacking players. David Goodwillie, despite his good start for the Dons, has tailed off in recent months, and the last of his six goals came during a 4-0 thumping of Ross County at the beginning of February. Niall McGinn has assisted more goals than any other player in the league, but last season he scored 13 – eight more than this season – and the year before he notched up 20 strikes. Kenny McLean, scorer of seven goals in 25 starts for St Mirren prior to his £300,000 transfer, is yet to open his account at Pittodrie. Lawrence Shankland, top scorer in the development league, has come on as a second option for McInnes in recent weeks, but his crucial miss against Celtic last week, a header which should have guaranteed a point for the Dons, highlights the fact that he’s still raw, in need of competitive playing time on a regular basis.

These players need to help lift the burden on Rooney. An injury, or loss in form, could prove devastating to their title ambitions.

SPFL Championship Play-Offs: Alloa Athletic 3-0 Forfar Athletic

Alloa Athletic secured their Championship future, defeating Forfar 3-0 to overcome a two-goal deficit from the first-leg.

Forfar arrived at the Indodrill Stadium with a two-goal advantage, having defeated Alloa 3-1 back in Angus mid-week. That gap, however, was cut seconds before the referee called for half-time in the second-leg.

Michael Chopra brought Alloa within one goal of taking the game to extra-time, after controlling Liam Buchanan’s cross and curling his hard shot past the fingertips of Rab Douglas.

Alloa then levelled the aggregate score after a huge mistake from Douglas and Darren Dods. The keeper and defender failed to clear a ball, Chopra snuck in to set up Buchanan, and the striker shot into a bare net to make it 3-3 from both matches.

After working so hard to equalise, Alloa’s prospects of survival then took a knock as Graeme Holmes’ reckless challenge reduced the Wasps to ten men.

Despite the odds, Alloa kept pushing and stung Forfar for the final time as extra-time approached. Daryll Meggatt, completing a Man of the Match performance in his final game for Alloa, headed home a corner to secure Alloa’s Championship future.

The Indodrill has hosted some spectacular performances this season, results that shall be remembered in Scottish football for years to come; but no game, not even the stunning comeback to eliminate Rangers from the Petrofac Cup, came close to the important of this second leg play-off fixture.

An encouraging cheer greeted the whistle, and the hoops of Alloa were straight on the attack, earning consecutive corners and keeping Forfar pinned into their half.

The Loons broke free from their area and Martyn Fotheringham even managed to test John Gibson’s reflexes; running around the outskirts of the box before releasing a shot straight at the Alloa keeper.

But the Wasps regained possession and remained determined to maintain momentum. Ryan McCord stung the hands of Douglas, charging at the experienced Forfar defence and cutting a driven shot at the bottom left corner.

Aside from a free-kick on the edge of the box – one that resulted in nothing, but nevertheless provoked an eerie silence inside the stadium – Alloa remained in firm control.

In the opening 20 minutes the hosts had managed four shots, compared to the one chance Forfar had created. However, their opportunities had been rushed. Mark Docherty’s rushed shot, rising over the crossbar, summed up their desperate efforts.

Minutes later Danny Denholm carved through the Alloa defence, running past his markers, and cut a short pass through to Dale Hilson; fortunately for the tense home fans, Kyle Benedictus kept within arm’s length of the striker and pushed the ball off him for a goal-kick.

Nerves continued to creep into Alloa’s game. Gibson ran out towards the corner flag, hacking down Denholm, who had beaten the offside trap, and earned himself a booking.

The resulting free-kick led to a period of chances for the Loons, one of which almost brought them a crucial lead. Chris Templeman’s header beat the outstretched Gibson, who stood off his line, and forced a goal-line clearance from Docherty, saving Alloa from a certain goal.

The match quietened as the game closed in on half-time. Aside from Michael Chopra’s long range effort, which snuck past the left post, both sides had struggled to create momentum and chances.

But, with seconds remaining, Chopra gave Alloa something to cheer about. Liam Buchanan’s cross landed at the feet of Chopra, who outmuscled Michael Travis, swung and smashed the ball into the bottom right corner, eliciting a huge, optimistic cheer from the home support as the teams walked back inside.

A roar greeted Alloa as the Wasps emerged from the tunnel for the second-half. Buchanan intended to make a quick mark: he ran along the touchline, darting past a couple of white shirts, before choosing to shoot. Douglas caught the tame effort.

Forfar started to pressure the hosts, and Omar Kader could have equalised if not for some amazing last-ditch defending from Daryll Meggatt. Kader appeared to be one-on-one with Gibson, Hilson’s through-ball having sliced the Alloa defence in half, until Meggatt blocked the Forfar midfielder as he prepared to curl a shot around the Wasps’ keeper. The Dundee-bound defender saved his soon-to-be-ex-club for the certain League One future. Minutes later and their prospects looked so much better.

Douglas and Dods stood idle, stuck in the moment as a long ball rolled towards the box. Neither responded to the danger – a communication breakdown that proved costly. Chopra snuck in, nudged the ball out to Buchanan, and the club’s top scorer curled the ball into the empty net. The positive atmosphere didn’t survive five minutes.

A quick counter-attack, although still inside the Forfar half, ended with Alloa being reduced to ten men. Kader ran at speed, and Graeme Holmes opted to make the challenge. However, mistimed, his boot in the air, and Kader’s speed making the incident look much worse, the referee pulled out a straight red.

Alloa didn’t give up though.

With less than ten minutes remaining, Stuart Malcom made a decisive mistake for Forfar, clearing an Alloa cross for a corner despite the ball almost being in Douglas’s hands. The corner came in and Meggatt, leaving on a high note, rose up to head Alloa into the lead.

Forfar looked exhausted, bereft of spirit; Alloa had completed a remarkable comeback.

Defensive stability key for St Johnstone

The Scottish Cup Final could be a tense affair in Perth. One year after their memorable defeat of Dundee United, collecting the first trophy in their history, St Johnstone supporters might find themselves supporting another team in blue: Inverness. If the Highland club, third in the league and thus booked a place in the European competition, defeat Falkirk and claim the cup – a success that also guarantees a Europa League place – St Johnstone will be the beneficiaries. That fourth place, however, is still not secure.

Dundee United are one point behind, facing their Dundee rivals on the final day of the season, and could overtake the Perth club if St Johnstone stumble against Aberdeen. It’s a damming indictment of United’s form that their European prospects are even in doubt. After 20 games the Terrors had nine more points than the Saints; in the next 17 matches, United claimed just 15 points and St Johnstone closed in. But as much as the change is a result of United’s dip, it’s also important to credit St Johnstone’s defence and their role in their European challenge – one built on solid foundations.

Watching football at McDiarmid Park can be a chore at times. Goals are a rare sight for St Johnstone fans. Just 67 goals have been scored – for and against combined – in league matches involving the Perth side. To put that into context, their rivals, Dundee United, have witnessed 111. There are a couple of simple reasons for this: the lack of a clinical and creative striker in the mould of Stevie May, and a tight and reliable defence. The success of the latter has offset the disappointment of the former.

St Johnstone have celebrated a mere 33 goals in the league campaign this season. Yet their record differs little from United’s, and it’s for this reason that the Terrors’ chances of reaching the Europa League are under threat from their Perth rivals. While United have a goal-difference of -1, 55 for and 56 against, St Johnstone also have -1, having conceded 34 and scored 33. For United, the contribution of their three attacking midfielders, sitting behind the lone striker, and the danger Nadir Ciftci poses, counters their irresponsible and inconsistent defensive performances. For St Johnstone it’s the opposite situation. The organised, consistent and determined displays of their defensive four, and keeper Alan Mannus, makes up for the lack of chances created – and taken. For United it’s a matter of outscoring their opponents; for St Johnstone it’s a matter of scoring.

11 of St Johnstone’s 15 victories in the league had just one goal separating the teams – to put it simply, they are a side of fine margins. They can afford to misfire, and not risk falling into the same position as St Mirren, because of that stable defence – one that has been forged over time.

Alan Mannus, Tom Scobbie, Steven Anderson, Frazer Wright, Brian Easton and Dave MacKay form one of the most reliable and mean defences in Scottish football – one born out of stability. Anderson joined St Johnstone after his release from Dundee United in 2004; MacKay made a similar trip from Dundee – the blue side – in 2009; Mannus and Wright arrived at McDiarmid Park in the summer of 2011; Scobbie joined one year later; and Easton one year after that. In the last three years, the six have played a combined 484 league games – their role in the Saints’ recent success cannot be understated.

That experience was crucial against Celtic, who have scored five against the Saints in their four league meetings – one fewer than United conceded to the Bhoys in just one game back in August.

The absence of Mackay, set for hip surgery and out for four months, meant Gary Miller filled in at right-back. The disciplined and experienced partnership of Scobbie and Anderson – moving up to 3^rd in the all-time appearances list – joined Miller and left-back Easton in forming the back-line.

The hosts appeared vulnerable on the counter-attack. At the usual pace, the defensive four and stand-in captain Chris Millar could outnumber the player in possession, close space and limit options. However, a sudden counter-attack highlighted the benefit of starting James Forrest: blistering pace. In the opening 15 minutes, Forrest used his lightning acceleration to expose a St Johnstone defence out of position. Although he wasted his chances, it highlighted their main defensive weakness.

Aside from an uncharacteristic error of judgement from Mannus, creating an attack that soon petered out, St Johnstone chose safe options, never risking being outnumbered – something Aberdeen have been guilty of in matches against the champions.

If not for a superb piece of last-ditch defending from Efe Ambrose, St Johnstone would have claimed an important lead. A deep corner reached Miller, whose header caught Lukasz Zaluska on the wrong foot and seemed destined for the bottom-right corner; a desperate clearance from the Hoops’ defender hooked the ball over the crossbar.

St Johnstone had the better of their opponents in the proceeding minutes. David Wotherspoon and his Messi-esque movement – perhaps an overstatement – invoked a Bambi-like reaction from Ambrose, who tripped and collapsed to the ground. The Saints’ midfielder pushed ahead, but, with Zaluska charging at him, time running out, and isolated, his rushed shot bounced off the legs of the Celtic keeper – against a team that has conceded 17 goals this season, mistakes like that need to be punished. With half-time approaching, the Polish stopper continued to frustrate the Perth side. He pulled off a double save, denying the hosts from claiming a late opener before the referee called for the break.

The first-half had been a quiet one for the St Johnstone defence. Solid, composed, structured – Celtic had struggled to find space, to break through, and relied a little too much on Forrest’s pace to force chances. The Saints had engineered opportunities. Slick passing, and some individual errors, had opened gaps to exploit. If not for the reactions of Zaluska, St Johnstone would have had an advantage heading into the second-half.

The opening minutes of the second-half differed little from the events of the first. Zaluska again had to be aware, as Scobbie’s hard header thundered towards the bottom-left; Scott Brown’s rushed effort, sent crashing into the stands, summed up Celtic’s evening. The game, though, started to quieten.

As good as St Johnstone’s defence had been, there’s no argument that Celtic had been poor. Forrest hadn’t made enough of his speed advantage, GMS struggled to beat his markers, and Commons was reduced to a couple of half-chances. Celtic missed Stefan Johansen’s dynamism.

With eight minutes of normal time remaining, both sides had amazing chances to snatch a late lead. James McFadden’s thunderous shot crashed off the woodwork, before a driven effort back into the box bounced off an outstretched leg. An immediate counter-attack almost – and should have – punished St Johnstone. Forrest latched onto a long-ball, charged into space, dragged the ball around Mannus, and blasted his shot at the empty net. But he missed. The inevitable hadn’t occurred. The commentators stuttered in disbelief. The Celtic fans positioned behind the net remained silent.

The game sped up in the three minutes of added time. Counter-attack after counter-attack left all those in attendance on the edge of their seats, as the ball rushed from end-to-end. Another couple of late chances set up both sides for deciding goals; neither could break the deadlock. Davidson managed to run onto a short through-ball, but, being kept at a tight angle, his shot bounced off the netting; a last-ditch counter-attack from Griffiths forced a magnificent stop from Mannus to keep leave both teams settled on a point.

Scottish Premiership: Aberdeen 0-1 Celtic

Celtic completed a four-out-of-four winning record against their main title challengers Aberdeen with a single goal separating the two sides.

It was a tight affair, as both sides struggled to create clear-cut opportunities, before Scott Brown pushed Stuart Armstrong’s cross into the Aberdeen net from close range.

The Dons had a couple of chances, the inexperienced Lawrence Shankland’s header should have equalised late on, but Celtic held on and might have extended their lead if not for some brilliant shot-stopping from keeper Scott Brown.

As the champions emerged from the Pittodrie tunnel, preparing to walk through the guard-of-honour, a bitter mix of jeers and hisses greeted them. The match meant nothing for positioning; everything for pride. Hopes of an Aberdeen title push came to a disheartening climax at Parkhead at the beginning of March, as Celtic sunk the Dons and scored four goals in the process, each separating the dominant champions from their inexperienced challengers. It marked three successive league defeats to Celtic – nine points that could have crucial for Derek McInnes’ team. Sunday’s meeting offered them the chance to prove they could beat the champions.

Little occurred in the opening ten minutes, bar a couple of half-chances, before Barry Robson tried to catch Craig Gordon off-guard. The veteran midfielder’s shot had pace, but curled past the far post. It marked the start of a period of dominance for the Dons.

Aberdeen piled on the pressure. The hosts were unrelenting, looking to force an opening through brute force, and Mark Reynolds came within inches of sneaking in an opening goal. Gordon prepared to collect a simple pass, unaware of the roaming Aberdeen centre-back, who nipped ahead of the keeper to reach the ball, but in the process hit it too hard and sent it out for a goal-kick.

Leigh Griffiths, on the other hand, must have come to despise the irritating sound of the referee’s whistle, once again informing him of his failure to beat the offside trap. The Celtic striker couldn’t seem to time his runs, and Celtic in general had failed to test the Aberdeen back-line.

Their best chance fell to Stefan Johansen. The Players’ Player of the Year darted ahead, running onto a well-timed through-ball, and chipped Scott Brown, who tipped the effort over the crossbar. Moments later Darnell Fisher had a chance, but his furious shot refused to dip and also flew over the woodwork.

Nothing could separate the sides as the game reached half-time.

Aberdeen began the second 45 at a quick tempo, pushing Celtic back into their half of the pitch. The results remained the same: the Dons knocked the ball around, searching for a breakthrough, but unable to find an opening. Their lack of ruthlessness came back to bite them.

Scott Brown blocked Robson’s run on the edge of the box, starting a counter-attack that he would finish. The Celtic captain charged downfield as his team-mates continued the move. Stuart Armstrong outmanoeuvred Shay Logan, sending him the wrong direction, raced past another defender, and then cut a cross through the box. Brown, the epitome of a box-to-box midfielder, stuck out his foot to poke the ball across the line and hand Celtic the lead.

Niall McGinn almost snatched an equaliser after the kick-off. The winger managed to break into the Celtic box, surrounded by four hooped shirts, but his shot rose and didn’t test Gordon.

The Bhoys threatened to double their lead with half-an-hour remaining. Scott Brown, the keeper, pulled off two good saves to deny Griffiths, who had finally defeated the offside trap, and Kris Commons with the rebound.

With minutes remaining, Aberdeen should have equalised. A quick counter-attack ended with McGinn directing a curling cross straight into the Celtic box. Lawrence Shankland, prolific at development level, connected with the ball, but his glancing header missed the target and left Derek McInnes in utter disbelief.

As with the match in March, Aberdeen opened up in the latter stages, desperately seeking a late goal, and thus made themselves vulnerable to the counter-attack. Scott Brown, for a second time, had to pull off a couple of quick saves in succession, stopping Johansen and then James Forrest from extending the visitor’s slender lead.