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Stand-in backed to keep Celtic at bay as Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin blanks Hoops Hampden mauling
Jimmy Thelin has backed Ross Doohan to come in and fill the Aberdeen No. 1 void caused by Dimitar Mitov’s injury.
The Bulgarian international came off on Sunday at half-time in the 1-1 draw with Hearts with a hamstring injury and scans have confirmed he could be out for up to six weeks. Doohan came off the bench at Tynecastle and Thelin has no concerns about starting the experienced keeper against his former club, Celtic, in the top of the table clash.
Thelin said: “That’s football sometimes, players get injured. Of course you want everyone to always be available but it happens. Ross came in and did well for us, he has trained well and we’re confident he will do a good job. Dimi has been really good, he’s a really good goalkeeper.
“We have a squad so you have to find solutions and stay positive. Now you have to think about the player, to support them and make sure they are doing well so they are ready to be even better when they come back. It’s always difficult for players when these things happen but we will support him on his journey back. Dimi is a positive guy, we have a good medical team here so he will be supported.”
Thelin also confirmed that the game is likely to come too early for Jack MacKenzie. The Dons lost 6-0 to Celtic at Hampden last time out but Thelin is adamant that is in the past and it is all about what happens in the future. He also wants Aberdeen to continue their 100% home record.
“What happened before doesn't matter,” the Dons boss insisted. “It will be two different games, so let's see what we do better in this game. That was a big semi-final and Celtic played very well, but this is a different game, we are at home this time.
“We know what Celtic are good at but we want to focus on what we can do. For us, it’s about being clear what we want to do no matter who we play against and approach the game in that way. Hopefully we can see a big step forward tomorrow.
“When you go onto a football game you always believe you can win, you have to believe that.
"You can’t think about what other people think. You always respect the opponent but you always have to believe you can win at Pittodrie.”
Thelin is hoping the return home will reap the rewards after a tough spell on the road that saw them draw at Hibs and Hearts and lose to St Mirren. He stated: “I don’t think about last week so much, it was three away games - we drew two and lost one. Of course you always want more but you have to respect the opponents.
“We want to be clear and not make too much difference between how we play away compared to at home. In the last game I was proud of the mentality because we picked up some injuries.
“It is nice to be back home at Pittodrie, it was a tough week playing away three times in seven days. We want to use the atmosphere to get energy and approach the game in terms of what we can do.
“You should never stay in the past, the games come so quickly so even if you win or lose you can't stay and think about what happened before. You have to develop your own ideas, your identity and how to become stronger. That has been our focus from day one.
“It’s far too early to think too much about where we are now, it’s not even half way through yet. We have an idea of where we want to be and how things will look, but it’s still very early.”
