Under-fire Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson has branded his 10-man side’s penalty shoot-out win over Kilmarnock in the Premier Sports Cup last eight as the catalyst that can kickstart a stuttering season.
The Dons saw off Killie 3-1 on spot-kicks thanks to three saves from German goalkeeper Marius Muller following a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes and sparked a pitch invasion at Rugby Park that will surely spark a full-scale investigation by the authorities.
Aberdeen took the lead through Kevin Nisbet early in the second half, but saw Dan Happe red-carded on 57 minutes ahead of an equaliser from home substitute Tyreece John-Jules.
However, the visitors fought hard and could easily have won the match in extra-time – with Robinson insisting the grit shown on the field is reason to believe things will now pick up after a start to the league campaign that has brought just four points from five games and plenty of fan unrest.
‘The players showed what we see in training. They showed, to a man, their character and quality and that they can take on tactical information,’ he said.
‘You need catalysts during a season. It was always going to take time and, hopefully, we can kick on now.
‘I know I’ve got the players behind me, I know they believe what we’re doing. Anyone who thought it would be instant is wrong. It’ll take two or three windows to do that.
‘But they threw the shackles off and played forward with a purpose.’
Robinson also reserved special praise for shoot-out hero Muller.
‘He was excellent. He did my team-talk. I didn’t need to do one,’ he said.
Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson hugs Jack Milne after his winning penalty
Marius Muller saved three spot-kicks to set up Aberdeen’s shootout success
‘We did it with 10 men, we looked full of energy and defended brilliantly. You want characters and he made three great saves.
‘I was so proud of the team. It’s easy to give up and make an excuse. You could see the fans get right behind the team, which is great too. You are successful when everyone believes and you could see when the team were giving that energy and fight, the fans get behind the players.
‘You want to win first and foremost and I’ve proven I can do that. Nobody mentions style and young players when you win. When you lose, they mention style. I want possession with purpose and getting the ball in the box. You’re getting players to adjust and believe.’
Killie manager Neil McCann offered some harsh words to his players after seeing them blow it with a man advantage and end up playing second-fiddle in the dying stages before seeing John-Jules, Mark O’Hara and Aaron Tshibola botch it from the spot.
‘It is a very cruel way to lose, but, with the extra man, the disappointment is we didn’t do enough. It was a golden opportunity to go to a semi-final and we didn’t take it,’ he said.
‘The biggest thing was to take responsibility as an individual. An extra man gives you possession easier but you still have to do it and come up with something.
‘Psychologically, the boys will be down and I really hope they are because I am hurting and all our fans are hurting.
‘Professional sport doesn’t allow you a lot of time to wallow in your misery from a result like this. It’ll ask questions of you. I expect them to recover for Hibs (in midweek). They shouldn’t need lifting. They’ve let themselves down massively.
‘We tried to freshen it up because I felt they were flat and it was almost as if they were waiting for someone else to take responsibility and there was no spark. They’ve probably got a long night ahead of them.’
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