Barry Robson frustrated by VAR and Dons’ first-half display in St Johnstone draw

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson was frustrated with his team’s first-half performance and with VAR after a dull 0-0 draw against Premiership basement side St Johnstone.

Aberdeen's Bojan Miovski looks dejected at full time after the goalless draw with St Johnstone. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

The Dons were chasing a third straight league win, which would have propelled them into the top half of the standings for the first time this season. But they did not trouble Dimitar Mitov enough to merit maximum points as winless Saints picked up a deserved point at a wet, miserable Pittodrie.

Former Dons defender Andrew Considine headed into his own net just before half-time but the goal was ruled out by VAR as Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes, who was marginally offside, was deemed to be interfering with play.

That aside, Aberdeen failed to trouble the Saints in the first period, but they went on to dominate after the interval without finding the breakthrough.

Bojan Miovski spurned their best opportunity in the 71st minute when he collected Barron’s pass and cut across the box to work a shooting chance on to his favoured left foot, only to blaze his shot harmlessly over from 12 yards.

The North Macedonia international then flashed a stoppage-time header wide from a Hayes free-kick as the match ended in stalemate.

“In the first half we did not perform,” Robson said. “I thought we were sluggish and looked a bit lethargic. I don’t think St Johnstone brought anything either in the first half.

“I thought it was quite poor but we had a word with the players at half-time and I thought we came out a different team and in the end we could have come away with two or three goals.”

On the disallowed goal, Robson said: “Every single detail in the game is analysed to such scrutiny and it comes down to somebody else’s interpretation against somebody else’s. Where do we go from it?

“For me, I am done with all that and we move on. I just want my team to score goals and we went out in the second half and Bojan Miovski, who has been great for us, could have had two or three.”

St Jonhstone’s wait for a first win continues but manager Steven MacLean took plenty of positives from his team’s battling display at Pittodrie.

McLean said: “It is a good point and in the first half we were the better side. In the second half, we had to dig in and defend our box because Aberdeen are a big old side, who put set-plays and long throws in the box. We had to defend manfully and I thought we did that.”

An influx of new signings arrived at McDiarmid Park over the summer and MacLean believes his players are starting to gel as they look to reel in the teams above them in the table.

“We are going to get better as we go along,” he added. “We are a team in transition with 11 new signings who came in at different times of the season, so we are getting better.

“I see it in patches in games and in training I see a really good side, but I don’t want to be one of those managers who says their team is good in training. We have to put it into a game and here we showed in patches we are a good side.”