Stephen Robinson has called on the rest of his Aberdeen squad to shoulder more of the goalscoring burden to ease the pressure on Kevin Nisbet. The Scotland international has struck six times in four Premier Sports Cup matches, setting up a quarter-final tie with Dundee. Robinson hopes his top scorer can continue that form when Hearts visit Pittodrie for the Premiership opener.
Daniel Happe, Lewis Smith, Toyosi Olusanya, Brad Lyons and Kjartan Kjartansson have each scored once, but Robinson wants more from them and others. "I think he could have had 60," Robinson joked of Nisbet. "I've said to him about the amount of chances where it's hitting his kneecap or someone is taking it off his toe but Kevin is a striker who is always there. We need goals from other people as well. It was good to see Toyosi score at the back post. We need goals from midfield and from set-plays. We can't just rely on Kevin. But what you do know is you can rely on him if you create chances."
Robinson also highlighted Ayoub Moulou's progress: "Ayoub (Moulou) is getting into the right positions all the time and his goals will come as he gets sharper with Scottish football. But I believe we've got potential to score goals."
Kjartansson's confidence boost
Kjartansson scored his first Dons goal in the weekend win over Kelty Hearts, a moment Robinson believes will give the Icelander a much-needed lift. "It's confidence with KJ - he's got all the attributes," the manager said. "He's still a very, very young boy. He has just turned 20 so we're talking about the same age as Findlay Marshall. Because he's a big boy and we brought him in, you forget how young he is. He was able to control the game."
Robinson added that the 20-year-old must adapt to Scottish football's pace. "We need to keep working on him being really positive on the ball. The game is slower where he comes from so he has to get used to that. He will do that by playing games."
Armstrong back to his best
Stuart Armstrong, a former Scotland international, returned from nasal surgery and impressed against Kelty. Robinson confirmed the surgery timing was crucial: "It was something that if we didn't get it done at the last two games once we were safe then he wouldn't have been fit for pre-season so we made that decision. You don't play where Stuart's played if you're not top quality. He showed that again today. He and Conor Ronan are competing for places, sometimes playing on the same team but it's really high quality players we're talking about here."
Aberdeen are also interested in Jadel Katongo, though no further details were disclosed. The Dons are aiming to return to the top end of the Premiership after a disappointing campaign last season.
Momentum and perspective
Robinson believes the team is well prepared for the league campaign. "We're as prepared as we can be," he said. "This is a big week for us. We did the opposite at St Mirren. We didn't win (group games at the start of the season as in Europe) and we ended up winning the cup so I'm not sure what's right. Momentum is everything in football. Hearts did it last year – they won all four games and they had an incredible season."
He cautioned against overreaction, stating: "We're not getting too carried away. I think at times at this football club, it's boom or bust. I know what needs to keep improving. It's a work in progress. When we lose, it won't be the end of the world. When we win four in a row, we understand the level of opposition but you've still got to do it. So we acknowledge we've been good. We also acknowledge that we're certainly not the finished article."
