Recap
The Dons need to do it all over again, after playing out a 0-0 Scottish Cup Fifth Round draw against Kilmarnock at a blustery Pittodrie on Saturday.
Aberdeen have failed to score in 458 minutes of play, our only goal of 2020 so far, in our previous cup match against Dumbarton in the middle of January.
The Red Army did their bit again, with the return of the Red Shed in The Paddock, but despite the fans turning up, the team didn’t and our goal drought continues.
Derek McInnes made five changes to the side that lost to St Johnstone midweek.
Ash Taylor was out with a calf injury and Mikey Devlin came in for him. Dylan McGeouch, Ryan Hedges and Ronald Hernandez all dropped to the bench with Jon Gallagher not featuring at all, in favour of Shay Logan, Funso Ojo, Niall McGinn and Dean Campbell.
Andy Considine had the opening chance in the third minute when picked up a free-kick from the right from Dean Campbell, but Branescu punched the ball clear.
And immediately after Eamonn Brophy burst into the penalty area and fired his shot wide from a tight angle.
Matty Kennedy was brought down by Niko Hamalainen at the edge of the box. Niall McGinn tried to curl a low shot round the Kilmarnock wall, but it went a few feet wide of the far post.
Close the half-hour mark, Kirk Broadfoot was booked for fouling Kennedy. McGInn on free-kick duty again delivered the ball into the box and Scott McKenna was inches of connecting with his head to make it count.
Lewis Ferguson fired into the box in the 48th minute and stepped past two Killie defenders to open up space to shoot, but his shot was saved by Branescu.
NIall McGinn fired another free-kick over the bar shortly after.
Curtis Main came on for Shay Logan in the 60th minute to see if we can get that elusive goal.
Eamonn Brophy went close again after firing a powerful drive low from the left, Lewis initially spilled the shot but managed to claim the loose ball to avoid embarrassment.
Brophy had another chance in the 80th minute , but his shot flew wide.
Dean Campbell attempted a shot from 22 yards but he fired the shot straight at the Killie keeper.
The final chance of the game, came courtesy of Curtis Main, after he turned sharply in the box and shot powerfully from 15 yards out, but his shot flew over.
So, another match with no goals, and a lacklustre performance and we have to do this one all over again on Wednesday 19 February at Rugby Park.
Derek McInnes told the club website: “We have been here before.
“If you had just flown in you would have seen a very composed team, I thought we played well in the game. We were by far the better team.
“When the team sheet came in from Kilmarnock, without putting words in Alex Dyer’s mouth, they had five defenders and two screening midfielders. They probably would have shaken hands on a 0-0 draw and gone back down the road with a replay. They have done their job.
“I felt that we controlled the game. The surface was pretty dry and bobbly with the wind which made the second half a bit farcical and that didn’t help matters in terms of a creative point of view.
“In general, I thought it was a decent team performance. It doesn’t really count for anything because all everybody wants to talk about, and rightly so, is that we haven’t scored again for a fifth game in a row.
“I understand that and that is where the frustration comes. Also, where the frustration comes is that we should have had another penalty today. (Hamalainen’s tackle on Kennedy in the first half.)
“It is the third penalty in five games that we have been denied, it is a clear penalty. It is inside the box. If this was Rangers or Celtic the whole world would know about it, but nobody wants to talk about that.
“We have had three crucial decisions go against us. It should have been a penalty. We are waiting on Cosgrove getting up and running again and it might just be as simple as the right decision being made, he has the penalty kick and he is away again.
“These things I am angry about as well.
“It is about a foot inside the box. I think the linesman can help the referee. The linesman admitted that he thought it was outside the box.
“It should have been a penalty. We should have had a penalty here against Motherwell and we should have had one against St Mirren, but we don’t get them.
“It is just Aberdeen. If it was Rangers or Celtic the whole country would be talking about it. They would make sure that everybody heard. The fact that I have not even been asked about it, I have had to mention it, is frustrating as well because it is a clear penalty.
“I am angry and embarrassed again that we have not managed to score and work the goalkeeper enough. I need to stick by my players. We are trying everything.
“When we got the team sheet in, we adjusted slightly because we thought that they would go with a back five.
“We got Dean Campbell into little half positions and his switches of plays were good. I thought we had some good positives today.
“We were defensively sound, a clean sheet again. We were never really under threat; we played the game in their half. Campbell and Ojo were very good.
“What we tried to do was get McGinn, Kennedy and Ferguson closer to Cosgrove to try and give him that much needed support.
“It has not happened for us today but there was a lot right about the performance. Ultimately though we haven’t scored and that is why we are still angry and frustrated.
“It is my job to try and help the players to be better in the final third. It has not been something that I have come across in my career. We have always found ways to score goals.
“Also, in your career sometimes football is easy. Sometimes you don’t have to play well, and you win. Sometimes you pick the wrong team and you win, and nobody questions it. When you are not scoring you open yourself up to criticism.
“It is my job to keep trying to find the answers to try and carry more of a threat.
“I do think things like the referring decision or getting a ricochet and the break of the ball, it could just be as simple as that.
“That’s why I am angry at the lack of the right decision for the penalty kick.
“We have tried front twos; we have tried everything. We have tried McGinn tucked in behind the front two.
“We are trying to get as many bodies in support of Sam Cosgrove. We will continue to move onto Tuesday and hopefully we can get not only a goal scoring performance but also a winning one.
“I totally understand it (the boos).
“I can talk about the merits of my team today, we were the far better team, we controlled proceedings, bossed the game but up until a point, we don’t score a goal.
“I totally understand the frustrations that come from the supporters. If they don’t see their team win, if they don’t see their team score, there is the frustration.
“That is football and I get it.”
