Aberdeen 1 - 1 Hibernian

There were four changes to the starting XI decisively beaten at Ibrox last Saturday, with returns to the side from illness and injury for Scott McKenna and Andy Considine, Michael Devlin and Zak Vyner making way for them. Curtis Main joined Sam Cosgrove up front from the off for the first time, Ethan Ross getting his first league start for the Dons in midfield, Niall McGinn and Connor McLennan on the bench. An improving Hibernian made two changes to the team that drew 1-1 with Celtic last weekend, Porteous and Horgan in for Jackson and Middleton.

The game kicked off at a very blustery Pittodrie, though at least the morning rain had disappeared. Hibs were the first to really threaten in the fourth minute, Joe Lewis having to be quick off his line to block Doidge, the ball going behind for a corner. A couple of minutes later, a dangerous centre from Stevenson flashed through the penalty area without anyone able to get a touch.

In the 13th minute, Hibs had a free-kick 35 yards out, James' attempt skipped wide under Lewis' beady eye. At this stage, Hibs were looking just the livelier in a very scrappy start to the game as both sides tried to master the windy conditions.

The Dons had a glimpse of an opening in the 18th minute when Cosgrove's strength won him good possession, but he picked the wrong option with his pass and Hibs cleared up the danger. Three minutes later, a good run by Ross down the left showed his potential, but he put a bit too much on the cross and nothing came of it.

Aberdeen were improving now and Lewis Ferguson dug out another dangerous cross that was put behind by the visiting defence in the 23rd minute. The hosts kept Hibs penned in and won another corner, Greg Leigh heading wide from Ryan Hedges' delivery in the 25th minute.

Good work from Main, Hedges and Cosgrove got the Dons away down the right, but Cosgrove's cross was comfortably cut out in the 28th minute. Big Sam conceded a free-kick moments later, Hibs trying their luck again from 35 yards out, Mallan smacking the ball straight at Lewis, the visitors more than a little optimistic in their decision making at set plays.

Aberdeen created their best opportunity thus far in the 34th minute, Main holding the ball up well before whipping a low ball through the six yard box, but there were no takers for a tap in. The Dons were beginning to turn up the wick now, forcing three corners in quick succession but they couldn't break the deadlock. From the third, Hibs broke quickly, requiring Leigh to mop up well as Stevenson went on the run.

There were two shots at goal in quick succession in the 38th minute, Cosgrove's effort blocked, Ferguson's drive from the edge of the box comfortably handled by Maxwell. Moments later, Hedges was just wide of goal with a left footer from similar distance.

Hallberg and Cosgrove were unnecessarily booked in the 40th minute after a small disagreement that would have barely merited a mention on the floor of the House of Commons. We live in strange times.

In the dying moments of the half, Ross' neat ball to Leigh won Aberdeen a sixth corner, cleverly worked short for Ferguson whose shot on the turn was blocked at the near post as a fairly drab opening 45 minutes came to its close.

HALF-TIME: ABERDEEN 0 HIBERNIAN 0

Hibs forced a corner three minutes into the second half, the ball worked short initially and then to James on the edge of the box. His low shot was blocked but the rebound fell perfectly for Porteous eight yards out to put the ball past Lewis.

It might have been worse a couple of minutes later as Mallan claimed a penalty but rightly, the referee waved away his protests. Hibs were well on top at this stage and only a great save by Lewis kept it at 1-0 in the 53rd minute, Doidge through on goal only for Lewis to swoop down and pick the ball off his toe.

The Dons were in deep trouble a minute later when referee Robertson produced a straight red for Main as he looked to win a loose ball from Mallan in midfield, perhaps a slightly harsh decision albeit that Main was just off the ground as he made the challenge, Mallan not the only Hibs player to make a meal of things during the game.

Doidge was somehow ruled onside again in the 59th minute, clean through with just Lewis to beat but, once more, he couldn't, another good stop from the skipper to keep the game alive. It had been a torrid opening to the second half for the Dons as Hibs knocked the ball about with real confidence.

The Dons made a double switch in the 65th minute, Campbell and Ross coming off for Jon Gallagher and McGinn. The changes almost worked in the 68th minute, McGinn fizzing a cross into the box, Hedges cushioning the ball back to Gallagher, but his shot was always rising over the bar.

A ferocious drive from 30 yards from James flashed onto the roof of the net in the 70th minute, whereupon Middleton replaced Horgan for the visitors. A push in the back from Porteous on McGinn brought calls for a penalty in the 71st minute, but there was nothing doing as the Dons began to press for an equaliser.

Doidge was again allowed to run in on goal when apparently yards offside in the 74th minute but yet again, he couldn't find a way past Lewis in the Aberdeen goal, sparing the assistant's blushes.

A minute later, Hedges caught one perfectly on the edge of the box, the ball smacking against the post, McGinn onto the rebound only to have his shot blocked, though perhaps he should have put that one away. Hibs made their second change in the 77th minute, Doidge relieved from his personal nightmare of missed opportunities, Kamberi replacing him. Newell then replaced Hallberg after he had received treatment during a minute long stoppage.

A foray forward by McKenna won a free-kick 25 yards out and wide on the left in the 85th minute, McGinn's ball in headed behind by Porteous for a corner. From it, McGinn produced a perfect delivery to the back post, Cosgrove rising high on the edge of the six yard box to power his header at goal and in off the post for the equaliser.

Mallan had a pop at goal in the 90th minute, wrapping his foot round a 25 yarder that bent wide as the fourth official announced four minutes of added time. Forward came the Dons once more, Hedges winning a 92nd minute flag kick but the delivery was poor and cleared comfortably. Back came Hibs, only for Kamberi to blaze over from the edge of the box.

There was still time though for referee Robertson to reduce the Dons to nine men in the 94th minute, Ferguson mistiming a tackle on Mallan and earning a straight red card, the last action of an afternoon that was as much about the officials as the football.

TONY DOCHERRTY POST MATCH

"I have to clarify that I haven't seen it back yet but in my opinion, Curtis Main wins the ball and I think the reaction of their player makes the referee make that decision.

"I would have to see the second one as well.

"I think Mallan's reaction, in particular to the Curtis Main tackle influenced the referee.

"Again I would need to clarify that, I have not seen it back.

"I have had one view of it. I thought Curtis Main had won the ball. I didn't think it was a red card, but I do think the Hibs player had an influence on the referee's decision.

"I haven't seen it back (the Ferguson red card) but I didn't think it was a red card.

Mentality

"At that stage of the game we are up against it.

"I think that a lot of questions have been raised from the last performance in terms of the teams personality, mentality and I think what they did was reflect the managers personality and mentality, in that last 15 minutes with the performance where we should have possibly went on and won the game.

"It speaks volume of the squad.

"They weren't giving it up.

"The substitutions definitely helped. There was a real galvanization of the team and we could have went on and won it.

"There are different outcomes to the games.

"Before the game if you had asked me that we would have drawn the game I would have said 'no I want three points' but the way the game went and the reaction that we got from the players when they went down, as I say they were up against it, was a really good outcome for us and it is something that we now have to use as a springboard in terms of momentum for the rest of the season.

"Huge credit to the players. I have got to applaud them. They were a reflection of the manager today.

"I can only speak about our team. They were staring down the barrel of a gun. They were 1-0 down, they were down to 10 men. In situations like that you either stand up or you don't, and they stood up.

"The mentality and the personality shown by the team I thought was outstanding.

The Players

"I thought Lewis Ferguson was outstanding.

"You need to look at the personnel, in terms of the experience of the team. That will do us a lot of good. In particular Lewis Ferguson, I thought his ball retention, I thought his choice of pass, his decision making and also the defensive side of it I thought he was outstanding.

"I know Steve Clarke was here today and I thought he was the outstanding midfielder on the pitch.

"Joe does what he does.

"He is a fantastic goalkeeper. I judge a good goalkeeper on the amount of one v ones that he saves, and Joe has done that so many times in his career here at Aberdeen.

"He is fantastic for that. You never get used to it, but you always need to applaud it.

"Big Sam pops up at the most important moments. It's a fantastic header.

"Good delivery by Niall McGinn, it's a fantastic header getting up against his marker. Again, its something that we are used to those two players doing.

"Scott (McKenna) done fantastically well.

"He only returned to training in the later stages of this week. I am talking about the mentality of the team, the mentality of the squad and none more so than Scott. He put his body on his line. He has only trained a couple of days; he has been out for quite a while.

"He got through the 90 minutes. We monitored him Thursday/Friday and we had conversations with him, and he thought that he could give it a go.

"You seen with his performance there, he has got the heart of a lion Scott, he will get through anything and he did his bit for the team today.

"If Scotland were to ask if Scott McKenna could come into the squad it would be something that the management team and medical staff would need to have conversations on that.

"As far as I am aware just now, he is not in the squad.

"We need to give huge credit to the rest of the team the way that we dug in and we made sure that there was a positive outcome from what was possibly a negative situation.

Up Coming Games

"The frustrating thing is now we have suspensions to deal with.

"We are in real need of getting as many of the injured players back as we can and hopefully, we can as we are have got Motherwell and Celtic games coming up and we need all hands-on board.

"Hopefully this period of rest will allow these players to get back and be in contention for places.

"Sometimes there is an outcome from a game that you don't expect.

"At the start of the game I wouldn't have accepted a 1-1 draw at home. But the way the game went, sometimes that galvanizes not just the players but the support as well.

"It is important that the players performance in that last 15 minutes epitomises the manager and we are lucky at Aberdeen that we have got a manager in Derek McInnes.

"A lot of people need to realise that, the amount of solid sterling work that has been done.

"Sometimes when you are in a situation like that it brings out the best in people. It made them stand up, show their personality, show their mentality which is a reflection of the manager."