DEREK McINNES sent for the cavalry but they left booing and jeering and the battle between Aberdeen and Kilmarnock will have to be repeated after the Dons fans endured their fifth successive game without their team finding the net.
The Pittodrie manager –who had called for the fans to turn out and back their team following the home defeat to St Johnstone in midweek – expressed his frustration, anger and disappointment that his side had failed to win as he insisted a penalty should have been awarded by referee Nick Walsh after Matty Kennedy had been fouled in the area by Dario del Fabro in the first half.
“It’s the same story,” he said. “Not scoring when we are better. If you had flown in you would have watched a team in control. We had umpteen corners into the box.
“We should get a penalty again. That’s three penalties we’ve been denied in the last five games. If it is Rangers and Celtic the whole world would know about it. Once again Matty is brought down and it’s a penalty we haven’t been given. It’s not good enough.”
McInnes understood the reaction of the 2,000 fans housed in the so-called red shed, the Merkland Road stand re-branded to accommodate them for Scottish Cup ties. They made their displeasure known towards the close of this fifth-round tie with a few more renditions of “Derek, Derek get to f**k” just as they had sung at St Mirren two weeks ago.
“I understand it,” he said. “If you don’t score in five games you deserve stick. My players need to take more responsibility, but I’m in charge of the team. I’ve been under pressure as a manager since I took over at St Johnstone. I listen to key guys in the game who say we’re not far away, but it’s difficult to defend when you don’t score.”
Aberdeen bullied and battered Killie, but it was Alex Dyer, the Rugby Park manager, who wore a big smile as his side withstood the onslaught.
“It was good,” Dyer said. “We didn’t create a lot but they didn’t trouble us too much and we felt comfortable in the game.
“It’s good to go from the run we were on to unbeaten in three games now, which is giving us a bit of momentum.”
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