Given the horsing that Aberdeen has suffered on Saturday there were more than a few in the claret and amber end with slightly nervous looks ahead of kick off. Thankfully we made a good start and it soon became clear that we were not overawed by the occasion.
Indeed, until Edu produced an unlikely wonder strike, our defence had looked fairly comfortable. Those of us who suffered at McDiarmid Park last week could not fail to be impressed with the improvement.
The combination of Lasley, Jennings and Hateley in the centre of midfield ensured that we had some control the game. We probably lost some of Murphy’s best by moving him wide on the left but we needed Sutton’s physical attributes in the centre. Humphrey was unable to make much of the wide Hampden pitch and the close attention he had from opposition defenders limited his runs. He still has a lot of work ahead if he is to master the art of delivering a telling ball into the danger area.
Results elsewhere have caused us drop to seventh in the table, the first time we have been out of the top six for twenty games. It will be a test for Stuart McCall to get us back in the top half and it might be that his dealings on the last day of transfer activity make the difference. If we were to make it with a first team squad of 15 or 16 it would be a triumph.
The games are coming thick and fast at the moment. Killie visit us on Wednesday for an SPL game before we travel to Stranraer on Scottish Cup duty on Saturday. A couple of wins would give us a flying start to February and another cup draw to anticipate.