Aberdeen defender Nesta Guinness-Walker has said the team must now build momentum and start climbing the Premiership table after Saturday's home win over St Mirren. Stephen Robinson's side are aiming to follow that up with a victory at Dundee United this weekend, which would see them leapfrog their hosts and move into the top six.
Pressure from Robinson
Guinness-Walker acknowledged the demands placed on the squad by their manager, saying: "Of course - I think that's what you want in a manager. I think he knows the quality of our group." He added that the players hold each other to high standards, noting the team's second-half performance against St Mirren showed their ability to take control of games.
The left wing-back stressed the need for consistency, something Aberdeen have lacked since Jimmy Thelin's unbeaten start at Pittodrie a couple of seasons ago. "Now it's about us pushing on, looking towards next week, getting a bit of momentum and trying to put some back-to-back results together and keep looking up the table," he said.
Victory over St Mirren
Aberdeen made a fast start when Brad Lyons scored inside two minutes. Eseosa Sule equalised just before half-time, but second-half goals from Kevin Nisbet and Ayoub Mouloua secured the 3-1 win.
Guinness-Walker praised the team's reaction after the break, saying substitutions helped and the players came out "hungry for the three points". He acknowledged St Mirren's ability to keep the ball but insisted Aberdeen wanted to take the game to opponents at Pittodrie.
Response to critics
The team's mentality has been questioned in recent weeks, especially at home, where they were booed off at half-time before the final whistle brought a more positive reaction. Guinness-Walker said the squad accepts the responsibility of winning at Pittodrie, adding: "We had no other objective apart from three points, by hook or by crook and then second half we got it done."
Robinson had challenged his players to be more of a threat in the final third. Guinness-Walker said the team created numerous chances and could have scored more, crediting the quality in attack. He also highlighted the contributions of Tony Yogane and Lewis Smith, with Yogane impressing after coming on, and praised goalkeeper Marius Muller for a series of important saves.
