The Staggies believed they had broken the deadlock but the counter was ruled out with an offside Jordan White adjudged to have been interfering with play.
Referee Colin Steven was asked to review the decision on the trackside monitor and he stuck by the original call to the frustration of the County manager, with the game ending goalless.
Mackay said: “I have had a look at it again and I have spoken to Colin.
“It appeared VAR were wanting Colin to have a look to see if he felt it was subjective enough that there was interference with play.
“Which he obviously did.
“I have looked at it again and again and again and I see Jordan White and Joe Shaughnessy coming across. But they are coming across a fair distance away from the goalkeeper.
“So for that to be catching the eyeline…and I’ve seen plenty of them given in the last six months.
“I think it was strange that the keeper mishandled it and we put it into the net. The linesman did the right thing putting his flag up and letting it go to VAR and then VAR passed it on to Colin to say ‘it is up to you’.
“So the pictures he is looking at are the ones I have seen, I think it is strange that the goal was not given tonight.”
Dundee boss Tony Docherty admitted he was disappointed his team could not take all three points from the game but he was still pleased that the Dark Blues remain unbeaten at home this season.
He said: “It feels like a missed opportunity. There were signs that the team hadn’t played for a few weeks. We got sucked into the type of game we didn’t want to play.
“The overriding feeling is disappointment because we didn’t win the game. I know this league. We’re still unbeaten at home and that’s really important. Whether we did enough to win it, we had a wee flurry at the end.
“We could have nicked it but it’s important when it’s in the balance you don’t lose it.
“It’s another clean sheet for Trevor Carson and the back three. You have to focus on some positives.”
Brendan Rodgers kicked off his second spell in charge of Celtic with a victory, while there were winning starts for Hearts and St Mirren.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from the weekend’s fixtures.
David Turnbull stakes his Celtic claim
The former Motherwell midfielder was handed his first league start in almost nine months when Rodgers picked his first team for a competitive Celtic match since returning as manager. Turnbull seized his opportunity with two goals and would have had another if it had not been for a double stop from Ross Laidlaw. Rodgers challenged the 24-year-old to continue working hard off the ball and make the most of his chance.
It never rains but it pours
The Scottish football season closed in farcical fashion last term as torrential rain led to a major delay in Scotland’s win over Georgia. And the wet weather also delayed the start of the Premiership campaign in Perth as water got into the electrics and led to the VAR technology failing initially before Hearts’ win against St Johnstone. Dens Park was also affected as Dundee’s draw with Motherwell was briefly held up to clear a massive puddle from near the corner flag.
Rangers still looking to find their groove
Michael Beale deployed an all-new front trio of Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers at Rugby Park and Brazilian striker Danilo would come on later for his debut. But Rangers only managed four shots on target in their 1-0 defeat by Kilmarnock. Rangers only failed to score on two occasions in the Premiership last season and already find themselves chasing Celtic.
Killie signal their intent
One of Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes’ pre-season ambitions was to take something off the Old Firm and that was achieved on the opening day against Rangers. Midfielder Brad Lyons scored only his second goal for Killie after 65 minutes and the hard-working home side held out at Rugby Park with a degree of comfort. It was an early confidence-booster for the revamped Ayrshire outfit who battled at the wrong end of the table for most of last season.
Hearts steal an early march on Dons and Hibs
Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen have all enjoyed third-placed finishes over the past three seasons and the trio of big city clubs are widely expected to battle it out for the ‘best of the rest’ tag behind Celtic and Rangers this time round. All three kicked off the campaign with fixtures against teams that finished beneath them last term, but Hearts were the only side to emerge victorious after a 2-0 triumph at St Johnstone. Aberdeen and their huge away support were left frustrated by a 0-0 draw at Livingston, while Hibs suffered a demoralising 3-2 home defeat by St Mirren.
The Hoops completed a Glasgow double over Edinburgh after three matches were called off for safety reasons.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from the reduced schedule.
Happy honeymoon for Philippe Clement
Rangers fans wanted to see something different under Belgian manager Philippe Clement and they certainly did in a 4-0 Ibrox win against Hibernian. Michael Beale had been criticised for the ponderous style of his Gers side but Clement’s version played at high tempo and got the ball forward quicker. The manager himself declared himself “happy” but not yet impressed. “Impressed is a big word,” he said. “I still saw a lot of details we can make better but I saw a team who stayed well in the structure and made the runs and the tempo we played at. It is like the honeymoon. Everything is new. They need to confirm this the next week, the next month.”
Nick Montgomery felt Clement was too keen
Hibernian manager Nick Montgomery felt Clement’s debut should have been largely watched from the stand after accusing the Rangers boss of stepping on the pitch and controlling the ball before it went out. Referencing a red card for Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes against Dundee in similar circumstances, Montgomery was surprised to see the Gers manager get away with it. He told BBC Scotland: “I think everyone can see the ball had not gone out. When that happens, you probably think it’s not going to be your day because at that point they have 12 men on the pitch. The worst thing about it was they got the throw-in. Away at Ibrox you don’t expect any favours, but that’s not within the laws of the game.”
Celtic hitting top gear
The Hoops restored their seven-point lead with a 4-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle. Normally a tricky venue, the champions took the sting out the game inside four minutes when Matt O’Riley met Luis Palma’s lofted pass on the volley. Brendan Rodgers’ side dominated the bulk of the game to take their winning league run to six matches. If they come through another trip to Edinburgh next weekend when they face Hibs, there is a strong chance they will go on to extend their seven-point lead before hosting Rangers on December 30.
Tynecastle tickets decision has mixed results
Hearts more than halved Celtic’s usual allocation of tickets to 576 but the Tynecastle atmosphere was not at its usual level after O’Riley’s early opener. The crowd of 17,608 was the lowest league attendance at Tynecastle this season and some Celtic fans watching on television would no doubt have been frustrated at the sight of a virtually-empty section right next to the away support in the Roseburn Stand.
Kyle Vassell shows his worth for Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock captain Kyle Vassell’s double proved the difference in a 3-1 win over Livingston which ended a seven-game run without victory and lifted them into fifth place following a weather-hit fixture card. Vassell came into the league campaign still finding his fitness following a knee injury but he now has three goals in the Premiership.
Aberdeen and Rangers will play in the final of the Viaplay Cup after winning their respective last-four games, while Celtic extended their lead over the Light Blues to eight points at the top of the cinch Premiership with a 3-0 win at Ross County on Saturday. Motherwell lost again at Kilmarnock and Dundee beat Livingston.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five things from the weekend’s action.
James Tavernier continues to lead the way for Rangers
The free-scoring Rangers right-back once again proved his worth with a double in a 3-1 Viaplay Cup semi-final win over Hearts at Hampden Park. Tavernier broke the deadlock with a penalty five minutes after the interval before half-time substitute Scott Wright fired in a second five minutes later. A wonderful free-kick from Tavernier in the 64th minute effectively secured a place in the December 17 final against Aberdeen, with Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland scoring from the spot late on by way of consolation.
James Forrest keeps on keeping on
Celtic winger James Forrest came off the bench against Ross County to score the third goal in the Hoops’ 3-0 win. It was the 15th successive season in which the 32-year-old has notched in green and white. Forrest first scored on his Celtic debut against Motherwell in May 2010 and with a contract going up to 2025, there is ample opportunity to extend that remarkable run.
Honeymoon period over for Hibs boss Nick Montgomery
Things appeared to have started fairly brightly for Nick Montgomery, with supporters enjoying his style of play in his early weeks after replacing Lee Johnson in September. However, the excitement following the Yorkshireman’s appointment has faded fast. Hibs have won only two of his nine games in charge in all competitions, remain in the bottom six and are currently licking their wounds following a chastening night at Hampden on Saturday in which they blew a chance to reach the Viaplay Cup final by losing 1-0 to 10-man Aberdeen. Montgomery needs a swift and sharp upturn in form in order to start convincing supporters of his merit after such a damaging defeat so early in his reign.
Miovski magic takes Aberdeen to Viaplay Cup final
Hibernian were the better side against the Dons at Hampden Park on Saturday and were denied an opener in the 49th minute when VAR, after a lengthy check, ruled attacker Martin Boyle was offside before he had the ball in the Aberdeen net. Dons defender Jack MacKenzie was sent off by referee John Beaton in the 75th minute for a second yellow card but Miovski pulled him out of a hole three minutes later when he raced clear of the Hibs defence and fired in his 10th goal of the season to book a place in next month’s final.
Motherwell hit the skids
Motherwell’s current slump in form continued with a 1-0 defeat by Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, with Innes Cameron’s goal early in the second half proving decisive. The Steelmen took 10 points from the first four matches but have managed only one point since as they have slid down to eighth in the league following a sixth defeat in seven matches. “It’s not good enough for a club like Motherwell,” said manager Stuart Kettlewell, who knows the spotlight is now firmly on him.
After a cinch Premiership defeat at Ibrox and a loss against the Light Blues in the Viaplay Cup semi-final at Hampden Park, Steven Naismith’s side again came up short against Rangers.
Having scored twice in the 2-0 home win over St Mirren on Sunday, Brighton loanee Sima struck again in the 34th minute to take the three points back to Govan.
With Celtic beating Hibernian 4-1 at Parkhead, Rangers are still eight points behind the leaders having played a game less with Philippe Clement extending his unbeaten run since taking over as boss to 11 matches.
The third-placed Jambos went into the game with four straight home league wins for the first time for five years but will have to start another run.
There was a familiar name on the Hearts bench as former Scotland number one Craig Gordon returned after almost a year having recovered from breaking his leg against Dundee United on Christmas Eve.
The 40-year-old instantly put pressure on the club’s other Scotland keeper Zander Clark, who also has hopes of making Euro 2024 and he had a mixed evening.
Craig Halkett and Barrie McKay also returned from lengthy spells out while Nathaniel Atkinson and Kyosuke Tagawa were reinstated to the starting line-up as Yutaro Oda and Liam Boyce dropped out altogether.
For the visitors left-back Ridvan Yilmaz took over from Borna Barisic, missing altogether, with Brazilian striker Danilo in for Cyriel Dessers.
In the 11th minute Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland blasted a shot over the bar on the break after Yilmaz had carelessly lost possession leaving the Rangers rearguard exposed.
Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence limped off in the 17th minute to be replaced by Jose Cifuentes.
In the 25th minute, as Hearts drove their way into the Rangers box, Shankland’s shot from 12 yards was parried by keeper Jack Butland with Alex Cochrane’s shot from the rebound blocked by the body of James Tavernier.
Danilo had the ball in the Hearts net from eight yards just before the half-hour mark but was offside.
However, when Tavernier broke out of defence and split the Jambos backline with a well-weighted pass, Sima sped clear and when Clark rushed out from his goal, he slipped the ball past him for his 12th goal of the season.
Minutes later, Todd Cantwell lobbed the ball just over the bar from close range and then Clark stuck his foot out to deny Danilo from just a few yards.
Atkinson and Jorge Grant were replaced by Oda and Kenneth Vargas at the start of the second half but it was Rangers who reasserted.
In the 51st minute Tavernier’s curling free-kick into the Hearts box was dropped by Clark but Danilo’s shot was blocked by Tagawa and the home side escaped again, as they did minutes later when Yilmaz’s angled-drive flew wide of the far post.
Clark parried a long-distance drive from John Lundstram and Yilmaz fired the rebound high over the bar, before Kemar Roofe and Dujon Sterling took over from Danilo and Yilmaz.
Just before that, Butland made a fantastic save from Vargas’ powerful left-footed drive, which raised Jambo hopes.
In the 79th minute Clark made a fine stop with his foot after Sima had been set up by Roofe but the offside flag was up.
Rangers had to do some stout defending in the closing stages as Hearts went all out but they kept the door closed to keep on Celtic’s coat tails.
Robson was speaking exactly a year after being installed in the position, initially on an interim basis, and ahead of a crucial encounter against Dundee at Pittodrie on Tuesday night.
The Dons sit eighth in the cinch Premiership, two points behind Dundee, and a place below where they were when Jim Goodwin was sacked a year ago.
Robson led an impressive charge to third spot last season but defeat at Tynecastle on Saturday has left his side 19 points behind Hearts, albeit with three games in hand.
Some fans called for Robson to leave at Tynecastle and a “Robson must go” banner appeared outside Pittodrie afterwards.
“When you’re at a big football club, you have an expectation here,” Robson said. “I have been at this club for a long time, I have been a fan of this football club my whole life. I am from the area. If anyone understands, I understand.
“All I want to do is win football matches and get the fans home happy.
“We will go out there and try to win the game for the fans. And they will get behind us. We just need to get on the front foot, be positive and bring our talents to the game.
“If we get on the front foot and start the game well the fans will always back us here.
“The fans have been great with me since I’ve been here, they really have. The players, myself, the staff appreciate that. We need to give back to them and make sure we win games.
“I get their frustrations, I understand that. We just have to make sure we perform and win games for them.”
Robson refused to dwell on the banner and talk of potential protests at the stadium.
“That’s not my focus,” the former Aberdeen midfielder said. “I can’t control that. I can control what’s in the building, our players and the staff. That’s all I try to control.
“There’s a good culture in here with the players. They work hard for each other, they want to do well, and I have no doubts they will keep doing that.”
Robson also led Aberdeen to the Viaplay Cup final and a European campaign which saw them beat Eintracht Frankfurt and get results against HJK Helsinki, PAOK and Swedish champions Hacken.
However, the league form is putting him under serious pressure. Goodwin was sacked with Aberdeen sitting on 29 points from 23 games. The Dons now have 23 points from 20 matches.
Reflecting on his year in the role, Robson said: “There’s been a lot of positives. The only frustration for us has been the position we are in the league. That’s what we are trying to address.
“But it’s been a privilege. I have loved every minute if it. I’m an Aberdeen fan, I’m an Aberdeen boy. I know what it takes to manage here and I know the expectation.”
Hearts had started the brighter of the two and took the lead through Lawrence Shankland, but Bojan Miovski levelled matters early in the second half and Clarkson struck two minutes into injury time to give his side the points
The opening stages were largely played in the Aberdeen half, as their visitors sought to capitalise on the pressure that has descended on Robson’s side who were without a win in the previous six matches.
That said, it was almost the quarter-hour mark before Kelle Roos was forced into a save, getting down low to his left to hold Alex Lowry’s 20-yard shot.
But Hearts deservedly opened the scoring on the 20th minute, former Don Shankland inevitably evading the attentions of Graeme Shinnie to send a close-range diving header into the net from an Alex Cochrane corner.
The goal seemed to awaken Aberdeen and they had their first sight of goal when Jonny Hayes rolled a free-kick on the right to the onrushing Clarkson on the edge of the area. His shot bobbled wide of the left-hand upright, while Shinnie shot wide of the opposite post as the first half drew to a close.
And the Dons continued to improve after the interval, with Richard Jensen seeming intent on single-handed lay driving his team forward. Indeed, the big Finn unleashed a shot from distance after 52 minutes, that had Zander Clark flying across goal to claw away.
And a minute later, Aberdeen were level. Jamie McGrath played a big part in the build up as the Dons worked their way through the Hearts defence before Miovski applied the finishing touch from close range.
They could have been in front on the hour as Ester Sokler worked an opening on the right, but his angled drive found only the side netting.
Three minutes later, midfielder Beni Baningime was booked for a foul on Shinnie, which sparked a conflagration in the midfield, VAR ruling that the challenge was not worthy of a red card, with Miovski and Frankie Kent booked for their part in the afters.
A slew of substitutions broke up the flow of the play, but one of the subs, Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes drew a save from Clark with a low drive.
And the Cape Verde international turned provider with a neat pass to Clarkson, who turned home from six yards to complete the turnaround a significantly lighten the mood around Pittodrie.
On-loan midfield duo Leighton Clarkson and Graeme Shinnie had the Dons on easy street with first-half goals either side of Thierry Small’s red card, and Shinnie added a third early in the second half.
After a cagey opening, Clarkson opened the scoring from 20 yards as he curled an unstoppable free-kick past Trevor Carson at the near post after Greg Kiltie had bundled over Jonny Hayes.
Much of the play was in midfield, but St Mirren’s Curtis Main and Alex Gogic both went close with headers in the space of 60 seconds midway through the first half.
But the Buddies were reduced to 10 men on the half-hour as Small’s wild challenge on Dons striker Bojan Miovski left the North Macedonian striker stricken, and after a yellow card was initially brandished by referee Don Robertson, a VAR check saw that upgraded to red.
Aberdeen were undeterred by Miovski’s injury and after Carson parried a Luis Lopes strike, Ross McCrorie just failed to get enough on the follow-up to beat the St Mirren keeper.
But they doubled their lead two minutes from the break as Carson inexplicably scooped a Marley Watkins cross into the air and Shinnie gratefully accepted the gift to nod home from close range.
Shinnie was at it again four minutes after the interval as he netted his second, a rare right-footed strike after Ylber Ramadani’s cutback, but again Carson should have done much better in his attempt to block the effort.
St Mirren threatened from a set-piece of their own 20 yards out but Ryan Strain’s whipped effort was well held by Kelle Roos.
And Roos again stood firm after a mix-up between Angus MacDonald and Liam Scales let Main in behind the Dons defence, but there was no way past the Dutch goalkeeper.
Aberdeen were getting lax at the back against the 10 men and with 15 minutes left Roos was again called into action, this time to beat away Mark O’Hara’s curled effort from the edge of the area.
Watkins and McCrorie passed up late chances to add a fourth for the Dons, but the hosts sent their fans home happy with European football next season guaranteed.
Clubs are set to vote on controversial plans to introduce a Conference League between the Scottish Professional Football League and the Lowland and Highland leagues which would include B teams.
Hearts, Celtic and Rangers all have second-string sides in the Lowland League as it stands and Aberdeen were expected to join them in putting themselves forward.
But the Dons have decided the opportunity does not make financial or sporting sense for them.
The Dons revealed that all 42 clubs had been invited to express interest in enrolling B teams, mostly comprised of Scottish under-21 players, alongside two Highland League clubs and four Lowland League sides in the new set-up.
Chief executive Alan Burrows said in a statement: “We spent considerable time assessing the impact on our player development strategy, including the player pathway, and reviewed the cost/benefit of entering a B team in the Conference League.
“We also took account of feedback from other stakeholders, supporters and considered the decades-long relationships we’ve had with junior and Highland League clubs, including clubs who are now established in the SPFL.
“The player pathway challenge we would face with a team in the fifth tier is that ‘one size does not fit all’.
“We have young players who need experience at higher levels in the pyramid. To accommodate that, and have a full-time B team, we would need to have around 55 full-time players. We estimated additional annual costs of around £400,000.
“While we have said no to the SPFL and Scottish FA about entering the proposed Conference League in 2024-25, we are keen to explore other options such as a strategic partnership with another SPFL club, where expanding some of the loan regulations would be key to ensuring Aberdeen FC continues to be one of the best developers of young talent in the country.
“We will therefore continue to push our best young talent to our first team as quickly as possible, along with using the loan market to provide player pathway experience, which has been impactful for the club over many years.”
Conference League plans have been met with widespread opposition below the SPFL given that about 200 clubs will effectively be relegated to a lower tier of the pyramid under the proposals.
The football authorities have not published details on the proposals but the initial plan would be that any B teams could neither be promoted nor relegated.
The plans will go before member clubs at next month’s SFA annual general meeting.
Alex Lowry, fresh off the back of a late winner midweek, turned provider for Alan Forrest to score the decisive goal in a 1-0 cinch Premiership victory on Saturday.
Given that the previous meeting between the two teams ended with seven goals, fans from both sides could have been forgiven for expecting a more entertaining affair than they were treated to in the first half.
The Jambos had made two changes, with Aidan Denholm and Odel Offiah replacing Cammy Devlin and Forrest in the starting line-up, while Malky Mackay brought Ben Purrington, Kyle Turner, Alex Samuel and Jordan White into his XI from Wednesday night’s League Cup defeat to Aberdeen.
Keeping in with the theme of Hearts’ domestic matches so far this season, they had plenty of possession, but really struggled to test Ross Laidlaw in the home goal.
Lawrence Shankland did come close towards the end of the first half, twisting and turning in a bid to forge a shooting opportunity and then only just sending the ball wide, but otherwise the most eye-catching man on the park was the referee, who booked three players in the first 45 minutes.
The second half threatened to pick up where the first left off, with Tony Sibbick and Offiah each having shots that reached the back of the stand after flying over the crossbar.
Hearts continued to probe for an opening goal, though and came close to one when substitute Forrest slid in to connect with Stephen Kingsley’s low cross – only for the ball to spin wide of the mark.
Just as County looked like they were growing into the game, the visitors finally took the lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Forrest again was the dangerman, expertly placing his header into the corner of the net from Alex Lowry’s cross, leaving Laidlaw rooted to the spot.
While Ross County did try to push for an equaliser, it was Laidlaw who was called into action again as the clock ticked down, needing to push a shot wide from Lowry that looked like it was destined for the bottom corner.
The Staggies could not find a way through to a leveller, consigning them to their third-consecutive defeat in all competitions and – following results elsewhere – dropped to 11th in the table, while Hearts moved up to fourth.
The Buddies roared into a 2-0 lead after Mark O’Hara and Toyosi Olusanya scored in the first 17 minutes.
The Paisley side looked to have blown their chances of three points when Hibs hit back through second-half goals from Adam Le Fondre and Christian Doidge.
But Greive was on target in the 88th minute, ensuring the hosts suffered a demoralising start to their league campaign ahead of their Europa Conference League qualifier at home to Swiss side FC Luzern on Thursday.
Hibs made one enforced change to the team that started their 6-1 Conference League qualifying victory over Inter d’Escaldes as David Marshall, who pulled up in the warm-up against the Andorrans, returned to replace the injured Jojo Wollacott between the posts.
Saints also made one change initially to the side that started the previous weekend’s Viaplay Cup victory over Forfar as Greg Kiltie took the place of Stav Nahmani.
However, Stephen Robinson was forced into another alteration after Mikael Mandron suffered an injury in the warm-up and fellow forward Olusanya was promoted from the substitutes’ bench.
The visitors made the breakthrough in the 15th minute after they were awarded a penalty when Joe Newell was deemed to have tripped Kiltie in the box following a VAR check.
Captain O’Hara stepped up and sent Marshall the wrong way with his spot-kick.
Two minutes later the visitors doubled their lead when O’Hara cut the Hibs defence open with a lovely through-ball and Olusanya, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Arbroath, ran clear to drill through the legs of the exposed Marshall.
As the Hibs supporters made their frustrations known, manager Lee Johnson responded by making a double substitution just 28 minutes in as he replaced Allan Delferriere and Josh Campbell with Dylan Levitt and Jordan Obita.
The changes had little immediate difference to the hosts’ play, however, as the Buddies kept them comfortably at arm’s length for the remainder of the first half.
Indeed, it was the visitors who continued to look the most threatening, with O’Hara heading a Kiltie corner into the side-netting just after the half-hour mark before Marcus Fraser curled a 20-yard free-kick narrowly over in the 44th minute.
Hibs’ first clear chance came in the 57th minute when Elie Youan burst in from the right, but the Frenchman’s powerful angled drive was turned behind by Zach Hemming.
The hosts eventually got themselves back in the game in the 72nd minute when 36-year-old Le Fondre tucked a low shot clinically beyond Hemming from the edge of the box after Doidge had squared the ball into his path.
And 10 minutes later they were level when Doidge, back in the mix after spending last term on loan at Kilmarnock, ran on to a low cross from Youan and clipped home from six yards out.
However, just as the Edinburgh side looked to be in the ascendancy, St Mirren broke away and got what proved to be the winner when Greive glanced home a header from Kiltie’s cross.
Against Ross County on Saturday afternoon, the on-loan attacker came off the bench to provide the assist for Alan Forrest’s decisive header, just days after scoring the winner in the League Cup quarter final against Kilmarnock.
While Lowry’s quality on the ball has rarely been questioned, Naismith says it is the lessons he is learning out of possession that will earn him a spot in the starting XI on a more regular basis.
“He probably could be a bit disappointed not to start (against Ross County), but I was thinking more about our structure and I knew it was going to change in the second half,” Naismith said.
“I challenge him all the time to give us an end product and I thought he was really good off the ball today. We can’t have a luxury player, he needs to be in certain positions and I thought he did that really well when he came on.
“For 90 per cent of his youth career he has been on the front foot. He has come in here where teams play more directly than he will have been used to and he needs to learn that.
“A lot of the time when the second ball dropped, he was on it because his positioning was brilliant.
“That’s the part he needs to do consistently and then he can ask to start. He has done that in the last two games, which is pleasing.”
County boss Malky Mackay, meanwhile, felt a draw would have been a fair result after his side left the Global Energy Stadium empty-handed.
He said: “I think over the piece, a draw was probably a fair result.
“We were up against a good team with a big squad of players and I thought we managed the game well.
“We knew the threats they had, especially (Lawrence) Shankland who is a clever player and we managed that really well and thought that as the game went on we would kick on.
“It’s the top end of the park I thought we should have been better. The quality that’s usually there wasn’t today, so that’s probably what I’m most disappointed about.
“The ball went into the final third and didn’t stick as well as it should have and near the end, especially, we have chances but don’t test their goalkeeper and that’s what annoys me. We’ve got to get better at that.”
The 33-year-old joined the Lions in 2021 and manager David Martindale sees the former Inverness, Birmingham and Luton midfielder as one of the senior figures in a dressing room that is about to lose captain Nicky Devlin – among others – under freedom of contract this summer.
Shinnie, who penned a one-year extension to the end of next term, is aware he might not be the first name on the team-sheet every week, but he is happy to help guide his younger colleagues.
“We’ll probably lose a couple of important players but Davie and the staff will hopefully recruit some gems like they normally find, and we’ve also got the nucleus of a strong squad that will still be here,” said Shinnie.
“As a senior pro, I want to really help the group kick on next year, on and off the park.
“I’ve spoken about it with Davie and I know I might not play as regularly as I’d have wanted when I was younger but I’ll still be doing my all to be on the pitch every week and if not, I’ll be there to try to push the boys on and support them in every way.”
Asked if leadership came naturally to him, Shinnie – whose brother Graeme is the captain of Aberdeen – said: “Probably, yes, but I’ve definitely developed it since I came to Livingston.
“There are quite a lot of young players here so I’ve taken that onus on. Davie’s helped me with it as well, he’s put a lot of responsibility on me, so I definitely think I’ve developed it.
“I think boys feel comfortable pulling me for little chats if they need advice or whatever, and I’ve quite enjoyed that side of it since I came here.
“You need to take that ownership as a more older, senior player to be there for the group and try and be a calming influence at rough times because football can be difficult. You need to be level-headed.”
Shinnie is currently trying to guide his team-mates through their toughest spell of the season. The Lions head to Kilmarnock on Saturday on the back of a run of eight defeats in 11 games in all competitions.
“We were really disappointed to miss out on the top six after having such a good two-thirds of the season,” said Shinnie. “We’ve tailed off a bit at the wrong time which has killed us.
“We’re still a couple of points ahead in seventh and we want to finish best of the rest (top of the bottom six).
“Killie are another team fighting for their lives and they have a great home record so it’s going to be hard. It’s another challenge for us.”
Robson’s side had started slowly and when Lawrence Shankland headed the visitors ahead it was no less than they deserved. But that goal seemed to kick-start Aberdeen, and they were level through a close range Bojan Miovski effort early in the second half.
The game looked to be heading for a draw until Leighton Clarkson turned home from six yards in the second minute of injury time to lift the mood at Pittodrie with a 2-1 win.
Robson said: “I said to my players that they’ve been hard done by at times this season but you can’t complain, and we got what we deserved.
“Over the last three games we’ve had 57 shots and it’s just needed a bit of luck to put the ball in, but they deserve it. They’ve been performing really well at times and not got the rewards they’ve deserved.
“We had to tweak how we wanted to play to deal with the conditions, but we got better as the first half went on. It was a difficult game and the second half performance – if we continue to play like that we’ll be OK”.
Hearts Head Coach Steven Naismith felt his side had beaten themselves and called for his players to show more bravery in the face of adversity.
“I’m extremely disappointed,” he said. “We started really well, really confident and to be so far ahead and then sit here after a defeat is extremely disappointing. We beat ourselves if I’m honest.
“We ended up getting bullied and that’s what’s cost us. As Aberdeen went more direct, we just didn’t deal with the first contacts enough, we didn’t deal with the second balls enough and we didn’t win enough 50-50s.
“If you want to be successful, you have to deal with that in Scottish football”.
Former Dons defender Andrew Considine headed into his own net just before half-time but the goal was ruled out by VAR as Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes, who was marginally offside, was deemed to be interfering with play.
That aside, Aberdeen failed to trouble the Saints in the first period but they went on to dominate after the interval without finding the breakthrough.
“In the first half we did not perform,” Robson said. “I thought we were sluggish and looked a bit lethargic.
“I don’t think St Johnstone brought anything either in the first half.
“I thought it was quite poor but we had a word with the players at half-time and I thought we came out a different team and in the end we could have come away with two or three goals.”
On the disallowed goal, Robson said: “Every single detail in the game is analysed to such scrutiny and it comes down to somebody else’s interpretation against somebody else’s. Where do we go from it?
“For me, I am done with all that and we move on. I just want my team to score goals and we went out in the second half and Bojan Miovski, who has been great for us, could have had two or three.”
St Jonhstone’s wait for a first win continues but manager Steven MacLean took plenty of positives from his team’s battling display at Pittodrie.
McLean said: “It is a good point and in the first half we were the better side.
“In the second half, we had to dig in and defend our box because Aberdeen are a big old side, who put set-plays and long throws in the box.
“We had to defend manfully and I thought we did that.”
An influx of new signings arrived at McDiarmid Park over the summer and MacLean believes his players are starting to gel as they look to reel in the teams above them in the table.
“We are going to get better as we go along,” he added.
“We are a team in transition with 11 new signings who came in at different times of the season, so we are getting better.
“I see it in patches in games and in training I see a really good side, but I don’t want to be one of those managers who says their team is good in training.
“We have to put it into a game and here we showed in patches we are a good side.”
On a day which started with a celebration of the club’s ‘Gothenburg Greats’, the Dons were poor on the pitch and had Kelle Roos to thank for a penalty save which earned them a point.
Hibs had been the better side throughout, but a goal never looked like coming until a penalty call from VAR referee Andrew Dallas saw Roos save Kevin Nisbet’s resultant spot-kick.
The home side ended with a number of players visibly nursing knocks and niggles, and Robson said: “I’m proud of the players and what they’ve given us. Over this last three months they’ve been outstanding.
“It was a big emotional game but we’ve kept another clean sheet. In football you don’t always play well and the most pleasing fact is that they dig in and fight and they come out with a point.
“I’m so pleased on that side of it because we didn’t have a good day and the boy didn’t play well. Can I sit here and get angry after what they’ve given me? No chance.
“I’m happy that we maintained our position. We kept a clean sheet and we move on.”
The sides traded blows until the 75th minute when a Hibs corner saw Elie Youan head off the crossbar and substitute Harry McKirdy’s strike seemingly come off the post.
However, VAR subsequently showed a Hayden Coulson handball and a spot-kick was awarded.
Nisbet stepped up confidently but his drive straight down the middle was saved by the legs of Roos, who survived a subsequent VAR check as to whether he had come off his line and the Dons support were suddenly alive again.
Hibernian boss Lee Johnson was also taking the positives from his side’s performance, saying: “I thought we were outstanding. I was super proud on a tactical level.
“Aberdeen have been on a good run but I honestly thought it was total domination. If that was a boxing match, it would have been stopped.
“Of course, they have threats, from set plays and areas like that. I didn’t think we produced enough quality in the final third, particularly in the first half.”
As well as the penalty, VAR also checked a nasty high challenge from Josh Campbell on Liam Scales which left both requiring treatment, but ultimately the Hibs man received only a yellow card.
Johnson added: “I was a bit worried as to whether Josh was going to be sent off.
“It was a high challenge but he was facing the wrong way so I understand why he wasn’t. Then obviously the key match moment never went our way.”
The Dons sealed third place in the cinch Premiership – and likely European group-stage football next term – by beating St Mirren 3-0 on Wednesday so they have little to play for other than personal pride when they visit the champions.
Robson is adamant there is no chance of him allowing his team to slip into holiday mode for their final match of the campaign.
“The players deserve a huge amount of credit for how they have performed but the message was made clear in training that the season isn’t over yet,” he said.
“We’ve got a huge game to come. The sign of a good team is being able to go right to the very end and we need to go to the very end because Celtic Park is one of the hardest places you’ll ever go to play football, especially against an Ange Postecoglou team who are relentless in the way they play.
“They have got a cup final to come afterwards so I’m sure all their players will be at it. They’ve been phenomenal this season but we need to go down there and be brave and be right at it. If we do that, we have a chance.”
Robson will be forced into two changes as on-loan Hoops defender Liam Scales is ineligible to face his parent club, while striker Bojan Miovski was carried off injured on Wednesday and will see a specialist on Monday.
Beyond that, Robson is of no mind to tinker with his team too much as he wants to ensure Aberdeen have a chance of finishing with a win.
“No,” he said when asked if he was planning to mix his team up. “We’re going down to the best team in the country.
“You can’t take that lightly because they’ve got some real top players. We need to go down there and put a performance on. We’re there to represent Aberdeen Football Club so we need to make sure we’re at it.
“I’ve been in this game far too long and you can’t take a game lightly. I’m not a big believer in playing friendlies either. Every game means something.”
Robson refused to be drawn on reports this week suggesting the Dons were close to agreeing a deal to sign on-loan Liverpool midfielder Leighton Clarkson on a permanent deal, insisting he would not comment on any transfer until it was officially confirmed.
Asked how much of a rebuild he anticipates this summer, Robson said: “We’re the same as anyone else.
“Every manager will be busy with players coming in and going out. It’s the same at every club but hopefully we can take some good players in that can help us.”
The Bayern Munich midfielder’s season-long loan at Ibrox was recently cut short by a hamstring injury and he returned to Germany.
But the United States international was back in Glasgow on Sunday to collect the PFA Scotland Men’s Young Player of the Year award.
The 20-year-old told Sky Sports News: “I hoped for a better ending but it’s quite common in football to get injuries so I am unlucky to be one of them.
“I have had a great time here. It might not be the end – we will see what’s going to happen in the summer.
“It’s 50-50. It’s up to Rangers, up to Bayern and up to me, so it’s completely open.
“I am going to speak to Michael Beale in the coming days and then see what he is saying, see what Bayern are saying, and then I will decide.”
The former Germany Under-21 international beat Celtic pair Liel Abada and Matt O’Riley plus Albion Rovers winger Charlie Reilly to the prize.
“I’m extremely proud and extremely happy,” he said. “In Germany it’s not usual so I am just glad I got voted for. It’s a huge honour. The other nominees deserved it as well.”
Furuhashi got on the end of Luis Palma’s curling effort to net the opener from close range 25 seconds into the second half, before defender Liam Scales headed home the Honduran winger’s corner five minutes later.
It was the 28-year-old striker’s 10th goal of the campaign but only the second in 13 matches for a player who struck 34 times last season.
Rodgers, whose team went five points clear in the cinch Premiership, said: “I think he’s three goals short of where he was last season but for me it’s more important for the team.
“But attacking players, their job is to create and score. You could see relief on his face.
“He read it well and it was nice for him to get the goal because he had other chances which didn’t quite drop but from the team point of view it’s what we needed.
“I think it’s one where there’s probably been frustration when he maybe hasn’t had the ball through or runs behind to allow him to highlight his clever movement. But he’s kept going and persisting. He’s got this shoulder issue but he’s kept working and that’s important.
“Any striker wants to get goals but it’s not just about the striker. A striker can can get 40 goals but it’s no good if other members aren’t contributing.
“It was nice to get goal for him and nice to get one from a set-piece. We had more chance to work on that and we need to be much better in that area but we looked a threat.”
The Green Brigade fans group were back inside Celtic Park after a recent ban and the atmosphere was back to normal as well as the team’s display after they suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time in a decade.
Rodgers said: “It’s been a tough week on the back of two results. Naturally it’s not been what you want but the players were excellent. From the first whistle the tempo was really good.”
Livingston manager David Martindale bemoaned his side’s start to the second half after his side defended brilliantly in the first half.
“The way we started is criminal, terrible,” he said. “The first goal is shocking from our point of view. I’m not saying it’s good movement, it’s basics. Centre-half has got him, Kyogo just walks off him and stick the ball in the net after letting Palma come inside.
“Big Luiyi (de Lucas) has to do better. The movement wasn’t great but I think I could defend it. It was naivety and ability. They’re at Celtic for a reason. Big Luiyi is at Livingston for a reason.”
Martindale lost Tom Parkes to a head injury late in the first half after the defender had produced three-goal saving interventions before getting in the way of a powerful Cameron Carter-Vickers strike.
The Livi manager said: “He was in a bad way when he came off but he’s better now. If Parksey was there that first goal doesn’t happen.”
Rodgers was part of a delegation of Celtic coaches, players and directors who were granted a private audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday morning, following their Champions League defeat by Lazio in Rome the previous night.
Rodgers said: “It was obviously a real privilege for us all to have the invitation to go there.
“It was a really humbling experience and it felt like a life achievement to meet him. It was so nice, everyone that came out of the room that morning felt really privileged and really honoured.”
Pope Francis told the Celtic delegation that while winning was always preferred, it was not the most important aspect.
Quoted on the Vatican website, he added: “More vital is the example you give when winning or losing, both on and off the field. An example that embodies the virtues of courage, perseverance, generosity and respect for the God-given dignity of others.
“Indeed, Celtic Football Club was founded in 1887 with the specific goal of alleviating poverty in the city of Glasgow. This was truly a charitable undertaking for the sake of the most needy of our brothers and sisters.
“Yet, how much the world of football has changed since then. In particular, the financial footprint of the ‘beautiful game’ has greatly increased, and at times can risk making football only attractive for reasons of monetary profit.
“The valued legacy of your club, then, places a heavy responsibility upon your shoulders, reminding you to be good role models, especially for young people.”
