Aberdeen priority to improve goal threat - McInnes

ABERDEEN manager Derek McInnes admits his priority is to improve his team’s goal threat after they recorded their eighth goalless draw of the season at St Mirren Park on Saturday.

McInnes is unbeaten in four games in charge but his side have only netted twice in those matches, although they ought to have been credited with another in Paisley.

Jonny Hayes tucked home a Niall McGinn pass after a long ball forward in the 69th minute but was ruled offside, a decision which McInnes described as wrong after studying television footage.

Aberdeen had the game’s best chances; Marc McAusland cleared Scott Vernon’s header off the line; Ryan Jack scraped the post with a volley; and Craig Samson saved well from Joe Shaughnessy’s header. But the game was lacking in creativity, despite both sides lining up with two strikers and two attack-minded wingers.

McInnes said: “I thought once the game got stretched a wee bit, we looked the most likely of the teams to score.

“The positive thing is another clean sheet, that’s three in the four games we have played. But we should be scoring a lot more goals.

“It’s good when you have got the confidence in the back four and goalkeeper and what’s in front. We are really working hard and not looking too troubled.

“But for us to make sure we are not in the bottom six next season, I’m sure there have been a lot of games like that this season, and we should strive for better. Even though we were better than the opposition, it’s the result that matters and we haven’t won a game we should have.”

St Mirren, who rested top goalscorer Steven Thompson and were without Kenny McLean and Paul McGowan, rarely threatened other than from a Dougie Imrie free-kick which Jamie Langfield pushed over.

Manager Danny Lennon, who hauled off substitute Lewis Guy after the striker had an exchange of words with assistant manager Tommy Craig, said: “It was by no means a classic. You had two teams set up in a similar formation and they cancelled each other out. There was very little action and goalscoring opportunities.

“The positive was we looked a lot more solid and young Jack Smith coming on for the last ten minutes. It’s always good to see a youngster coming in. We experimented a bit in one or two things.”

Lennon revealed Motherwell had opened negotiations with his goalkeeper, Craig Samson, and that McGowan could be heading south this summer.

“Paul’s got an offer from us and has had that offer for a couple of months now,” he said. “We have had a healthy chat and Paul wants to keep his options open. He does have ambitions to go down south and I’ve not got a problem with that because he has been absolutely fantastic. But what he has guaranteed that, if he is going to stay in Scotland, then it will be with us.”