Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson has explained why Nicky Devlin was absent from the squad for their 2-1 Premier Sports Cup victory over Queen's Park on Saturday. The Scotland international watched from the stands as the Dons secured their second group-stage win.
Robinson's Tactical Decision
Robinson opted to start Lewis Mayo at right-back, with young Dylan Lobban providing cover on the bench. The manager admitted he wanted to evaluate Mayo in that position and believed Lobban offered a greater attacking threat as a substitute. “I didn’t want two right backs on the bench because Lewis Mayo was starting there. I wanted to look at Lewis there because I haven’t seen loads of him at right-back. I wanted to see him as an option there,” Robinson said.
He added: “Mats (Knoester) is coming back soon as well. He is a couple of weeks away. I thought Dylan gave us more of an attacking edge if we needed that. Nicky understands that. He is a very good professional and that is not an issue.”
Squad Rotation Ahead of Queen of the South Clash
Robinson plans to rotate his squad for Wednesday’s trip to Queen of the South in the same competition. With players still building fitness, he is cautious about overexerting them early in the campaign. “Nesta (Guinness Parker) is still getting fit so to ask him to play three games in just over a week (is not right). Lewis Smith as well, it could lead to injury,” he explained.
“I have to be very careful with that. There are boys who can come in and make us equally as strong. They will get their opportunity on Wednesday. There is strength and depth, but there are still areas we need to improve on. I still feel there are areas where we are light. There are people still needing to move. We are not finished in terms of the squad. We are getting there. There are good signs and areas we need to improve as well.”
Lewis Smith's Impact and Fitness
Recent signing Lewis Smith scored on his Pittodrie debut, but Robinson stressed the midfielder still needs to improve his fitness. “I don’t think Lewis is fit enough yet. He has a long way to go before he can last 90 minutes. The only way he can do that is through games to get to the levels I expect from him. You can see his quality. You can see his and Tony’s (Yogane) quality. They are two very young players who we will put a lot of emphasis on. Both will get fitter and stronger, as will the whole squad,” Robinson said.
Connor Ronan's Influence
Connor Ronan was another standout performer against Queen’s Park, and Robinson, who previously worked with him at St Mirren, believes he can elevate the team. “Connor is excellent. I thought he was superb on Saturday. His delivery and quality on the ball was great. He is sometimes three or four steps ahead of everyone. He also gets up and supports Kevin so he isn’t left isolated,” Robinson noted.
“Alex Briedl for his first game at Pittodrie was excellent. He has been out for a couple of weeks but looked comfortable as did Lewis and Nesta before he tired. There were a lot of positives. We need to make the game easier for ourselves by doing the simple things well. We stopped doing for 20 or 30 minutes and it then makes life difficult.”
Set-Piece Improvement
Aberdeen struggled from set-pieces last season, but Dan Happe’s headed goal from Ronan’s corner in the second minute of the match marked an early improvement. “Set plays are vital at both ends. It gives us a cushion in the game and then it makes it nervy because we didn’t do our job at the other end. It is something I am drilling into people. They have to step up or they won’t play, it is that simple. They are trusted to mark from set-plays and it is so important they do that. There are lots to improve on but lots to like as well,” Robinson concluded.
