Aberdeen 1 Kilmarnock 0
Lee Miller's remarks as he looked back on Aberdeen�s first home win of the season was somewhat understated. �It was,� he conceded, �a little bit of a relief.�

Aberdeen 1 Kilmarnock 0

Lee Miller's remarks as he looked back on Aberdeen's first home win of the season was somewhat understated. "It was," he conceded, "a little bit of a relief."

Jimmy Calderwood, his manager, recognised Lady Luck had smiled favourably on his side in a pulsating game and Jim Jefferies, his Kilmarnock counterpart, did not disagree.

Sone Aluko's 51st minute goal, where he hoodwinked Jamie Hamill into allowing him to fire in an angular shot, was a worthy winner, though there were enough occasions when Kilmarnock should have replied. None better than minutes from the end when substitute Donovan Simmonds' 20-yard shot hit the Aberdeen cross-bar.

Miller's power and strength played their part and there will be the inevitable calls for him to be introduced into the Scotland squad, with his manager reminding us that, with Kris Boyd's resignation, there is a vacancy.

"I must concentrate on finding consistency first,"

Miller insisted, putting to bed such speculation. "The win over Kilmarnock was a fighting performance to get the monkey off our backs, although it was nervous towards the end. However, we dug deep and defended well. It was a heart-stopping moment when Simmonds's shot hit the bar."

The visitors' composure and desire to take the sting out of Aberdeen's high-tempo approach put them in control for long periods.

Mehdi Taouil and David Fernandez made impressive contributions while James Fowler and Craig Bryson made life uncomfortable for their opponents. Jefferies attested it was probably his side's best away display of the season and Fernandez agreed.

"I thought it was very open," said the Spaniard, "and even after they scored we were all over them and created more chances then they did.

"They were always going to be dangerous on the break but I thought the game was pretty much under our control. Most of their chances were from set pieces. We were the ones who played the football.

"I thought we deserved something from the game. We can be proud of the way we are playing this season.

"Even though we lost the last couple of games we are playing with a great deal of confidence."