Derek McInnes admits Aberdeen only deserved a draw

Derek McInnes said he was ontent with a point. Picture: SNS

The Pittodrie manager watched Adam Rooney hit a spectacular equaliser in the second half to cancel out a deserved opening goal for St Johnstone from Simon Lappin.

With Aberdeen needing to win to overtake Celtic at the top of the table, they were forced to rely on goalkeeper Scott Brown to secure even a point. Brown made a point-blank save at the end from substitute Michael O’Halloran after he had already just stopped a drive from David Wotherspoon. “It is not a disaster coming away from here with a point,” pointed out McInnes. “St Johnstone are a good side and they showed that tonight at times. We came here to win but I don think the performance was good enough to merit a win. But 26 points from 30 is still a good run.”

Eight consecutive league victories were brought to an end by Dundee last weekend, and here again Aberdeen had to be content with a draw that keeps them below Celtic on goal difference in the league.

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“We were backed by a big crowd,” said McInnes. “We knew the importance of the game. We wanted to try and go top of the league. But I don’t think the start we made reflected that. We came here to win but I don’t think the performance was good enough.

“I thought a draw was a fair result,” he continued. “St Johnstone were far more aggressive in that first half hour period. We finished the first half far more like ourselves, but I do think St Johnstone imposed themselves on the game better than we did.

“There is always an opposition trying to stop you,” he added. “We were better all round in the second half but you have to credit St Johnstone. They showed a good reaction to their last disappointing performance and were up for it tonight. A draw was the right result because I do not think we were good enough to win it. And I don’t think St Johnstone were good enough to win it either.”

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright praised his team for reacting to Tuesday night’s disappointing defeat at Inverness in the right manner.

“They can be proud,” he said. “We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country. It was like two boxers exchanging punches in the end, it was end-to-end stuff. I could not have asked for more from them. I will take the point and the performance, and we can move on.”