Tight-knit squad the key to Aberdeen revival, says Lewis Ferguson

Match-winner at Hibs admits start of the season was a “low” period for the Dons

Lewis Ferguson was the match-winner at Hibs, scoring a 39th-minute penalty for the Dons. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS

Lewis Ferguson freely admits that the beginning of August was a “low” period in Aberdeen’s history. Starting the season with a 1-0 defeat by 
bitter rivals Rangers was not ideal, but the heat intensified on the Dons when eight of their players visited a city-centre bar that night. Subsequently, two of them contracted Covid-19, all eight had to self-isolate, were pilloried by the general public and felt the wrath of the First Minister.

Fast forward a few weeks and Nicola Sturgeon’s criticism seems a long time ago. Since returning to action on 20 August, Aberdeen have knuckled down, won three Premiership matches in a row and progressed in the Europa League after thumping Faroese outfit NSI Runavik 6-0. They signed off for the international break with a 1-0 victory away at Hibs. Not just an excellent win, but a strong, resolute performance. Aberdeen are on the rise again.

You can tell from speaking to Derek McInnes and his players that they won’t forget the “coronavirus eight” affair in a hurry. There is still a sense of humility within the camp – they know what happened was wrong. However, moving on and improving are all they can do. Ferguson, the matchwinner at Easter Road with his 39th-minute penalty, is just glad to be talking about matters on the pitch again.

“The start of the season wasn’t ideal,” said the former Hamilton midfielder, who wasn’t one of the miscreants. “We just got going with the Rangers game then were shut right down for a few weeks and everyone at the club was at a real low. There was so much going on that we weren’t able to concentrate on football.

“There is a real togetherness and when the boys came back in everyone rallied together. The gaffer really wanted everyone to stick together as a team as we’d been through so much and it is shown on the pitch in the way we dig in and everyone fights for each other.”

That grit and determination
was clear against Hibs. Their hosts went into the match unbeaten and started off brighter, but Aberdeen weathered the storm and by the end, looked more likely to add to their lead rather than concede.

Ferguson believes a tight-knit dressing-room and enhanced quality at Pittodrie will make them a tough nut to crack this term.

“We’re just starting to get back up to speed and there were spells where we were good, but in football you never
get a full 90 minutes your own way and you have to dig in,” said Ferguson.

“There is definitely more strength in depth this year. Boys have still to come back from injuries but the squad is the strongest it has been since I’ve been here. We have quality
all over the park and when you look at our bench and the boys who are not here in [Sam] Cosgrove, [Craig] Bryson and [Mikey] Devlin, we’ve got a really strong squad and a lot of competition for places.”

Ferguson now joins up with the Scotland Under-21 squad for a trip to Lithuania on 11 September. The 21-year-old is in his final campaign with the young Scots and knows the next step is to catch the eye of senior team boss Steve Clarke.

“That’s the main aim,” added Ferguson. “Every boy who is picked is trying to get into the national team. We want to play for the under-21s first and foremost – but the end goal is to play for the first team.”

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