Stevie May won't dwell on past as he eyes net gains for Dons

Stevie May scored just five goals in 34 games last season but if you think the striker was intimidated by the £400,000 fee Aberdeen paid Preston North End for him last August then think again.
Stevie May, centre, celebrates his goal against St Mirren. Picture: Alan Harvey/SNSStevie May, centre, celebrates his goal against St Mirren. Picture: Alan Harvey/SNS
Stevie May, centre, celebrates his goal against St Mirren. Picture: Alan Harvey/SNS

Last weekend’s contribution to the Dons’ 4-0 Betfred Cup win against St Mirren was only his second strike in 2018 but the player doesn’t waste any time dwelling on what’s happened in the past.​

That’s hardly surprising after serious injury blighted May’s chances of making a serious impact at first Sheffield Wednesday then Preston before Derek McInnes brought him back to Scotland.​

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The Aberdeen manager sanctioned the largest transfer fee of his time at Pittodrie to be reunited with someone whose career he first guided when May was a teenager at St Johnstone.​

Not that the player has been burdened by the responsibility as he said: “It wasn’t something that had bothered me. I didn’t think about transfer fees or anything like that. ​

“That’s for supporters to talk about, I’m here to do a job and I just want to get on with scoring goals. ​

“As far as I saw it, last season was done and I wasn’t thinking about that any more. ​

“The St Mirren game was really the second game of the season for me so it was good to get off the mark. Hopefully I can keep it going and go on a run of goals now.” ​

That’s exactly what McInnes is confident will happen and why he was happy to allow Adam Rooney, Aberdeen’s most reliable goalscorer in the last two decades, to leave for Salford City last month.​

The addition of Manchester United’s highly-rated on-loan striker James Wilson should help and now that he’s fit again the pair are expected to link up for the first time against Hibs at Easter Road this afternoon.​ Of course McInnes is well aware of what May can do and recently claimed he needs to become more selfish to become more prolific and the player goes along with the simplicity of the solution.

“How do I become more selfish? Just shoot!” he said. “The manager spoke to me about it, he wants me to get back to shooting on sight. As a striker you are judged on goals but when the goals are not coming you maybe try to do more for the team to be involved. ​

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“But that takes you further away from the goal so you have to get back to playing centrally and hurting teams. ​

“Shooting from various positions and playing on that instinct served me well when I was younger so I need to get back to that. I want to get back to that, just have a pop at goal and become that selfish player again. ​

“I’m sure things will click for me again, I still feel the same player and I’m confident I can get back to scoring regularly. ​

“My aim this season is to score as many as I can and hopefully help the team to success in the league and the cups.” ​

Niall McGinn faces a fitness test before today’s match while Scott McKenna and Mark Reynolds are still sidelined. 
Wilson is fit to play along with Tommie Hoban while Shay Logan starts after a three-game ban.