Aberdeen midfielder Graeme Shinnie admits he was fired by a sense of injustice as his double helped the Dons return to Europe.
Shinnie netted twice in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over St Mirren as Aberdeen secured third spot, which will guarantee group stage football next term if Celtic beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final.
The 31-year-old was returning from a four-match ban, which was extended because the club’s appeal against his red card against Ross County was deemed as having no prospect of success.
Shinnie had been suspended for five of Aberdeen’s previous seven games and was sent off in the other two, so he was determined to make his mark on Wednesday.
“That’s four games of frustration coming out,” he told RedTV.
“I went through the whole season without scoring. I think I have scored in every season that I have played in so far, so I am delighted to keep that run going. Bit selfish of the boys not to get me a penalty at the end for my hat-trick. My legs had gone at the end so I was struggling to push forward.
“The frustrating part of being out for so long, which I felt was unjust, was not being able to help the team and try to drive them forward.
“Coming into this game, having to win to finish third, it was my objective to drive the team on. Did I envisage scoring two goals? I wanted to but I didn’t expect it so I am absolutely over the moon to help the team.”
Shinnie admitted the Dons’ turnaround in fortunes under manager Barry Robson had been unthinkable.
Jim Goodwin lost his job after heavy defeats by Hearts and Hibernian sandwiched a huge Scottish Cup upset at Darvel, and Aberdeen were 10 points behind Hearts after losing to St Mirren in Robson’s first game in caretaker charge.
Wednesday’s victory sent them four points above the Jambos, with Saturday’s trip to Celtic Park now a dead rubber.
Shinnie said: “Who would have thought we would have been in this position in January? I can only speak so highly of the manager and the staff, how good they have been, and also the players.
“To react to one of the worst week’s in the club’s history, that’s what we had to react to, to where we are now, the third best team in the league, it’s an incredible turnaround. The hard work has paid off.
“The manager and staff have changed the style of football. It’s exciting football, there’s a lot of men pushing forward on the transition. It’s good to watch and it’s good to play in.”
Shinnie was coy when asked whether he would be part of the club’s European adventure. His loan spell from Wigan expires soon and he has a year left on his contract with the Latics.
“Well, I have got one more game to go first,” Shinnie said. “Like the manager always says, we will take one game at a time.”
Tottenham poised to announce Ange Postecoglou as their new manager
Tottenham are expected to announce Ange Postecoglou as their new manager after reports on Monday claimed the Celtic boss has agreed a two-year deal.
The 57-year-old Australian’s pending appointment will end Spurs’ long search for a permanent replacement for Antonio Conte, who they sacked in March.
Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason had respective spells in temporary charge as the London club failed to qualify for European football next season for the first time since 2009-10.
Postecoglou told Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond on Saturday night of his decision to leave the Glasgow club and has now agreed a deal in principle with Spurs, with the option to extend.
Former Australia head coach Postecoglou admitted on Saturday, after Celtic’s Scottish FA Cup final win over Inverness had secured them the domestic treble, that his celebrations would soon be disrupted.
Neither club have commented but reports claim an announcement will be made when the finer details of the contract have been finalised.
When repeatedly pressed on his future after Celtic’s 3-1 Hampden win over Inverness on Saturday, Postecoglou said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.
“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.”
Postecoglou has won five domestic trophies out of a possible six after arriving from Yokohama F Marinos in 2021 and was linked with numerous Premier League clubs throughout this season.
He became a hero with the Celtic support, not just for resuming their success after a barren season, but also for implementing an attacking style of play and his connection with the fans.
Postecoglou, due to go on a family holiday on Tuesday, will now swap Glasgow for another rebuild job at Spurs.
Former Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers has emerged as an unlikely favourite to succeed Postecoglou at Celtic, four years after leaving the club mid-season to take over at Leicester.
Assistant manager John Kennedy is also high up the list but reports claim Postecoglou hopes to take the former Celtic defender to Tottenham.
Cayon Rockets blank Old Road 3-0 to maintain lead atop SKNFA Premier League; Security Forces get rare win
Cayon Rockets maintained their position atop the St Kitts and Nevis Football Association Premier League following their 3-0 drubbing of MFCR Old Road United at Warner Park on Sunday.
Devontay Carty scored twice in the- 20th and 63rd minutes while Mervin Lewis sealed the victory with a third in the 68th.
Meanwhile, Bath United and Garden Hotspurs played to a 1-1 stalemate at the Nevis Athletics Stadium. Omarion Bartlette gave Bath the lead in the 13th minute. It was a lead they held until the 84th when Jeamaul Hodge pulled Hotspurs level to get a share of the points.
On Friday, a goal in each half led Security Forces to a 2-1 win over hosts Jones Group Sandy Point.
Everette Ritchen gave Security Forces the lead in the 30th minute. They held that lead until Zahmai Greene pulled Sandy Point level in the 65th minute. Parity didn’t last long as Donyelle Francis’ 70th minute goal gave Security Forces a rare win.
Meanwhile, Fast Cash Saddlers FC and St. Peters played to a nil-all draw, a result that Saddlers’ coach Samuel Phipps was happy to come away with.
“Picking up on point is good, we did not lose,” he said. “It was a fairly scrappy game but we came out with a point.”
St Peters’ boss Austin Huggins bemoaned his team’s missed chances.
“I think that we played well but too many chances went a begging,” he said. “We had chances to score, chances that I feel should have been goals, but we missed them; nevertheless, we’ve been able to get a point, looking forward to our next match.”
The weekend’s results, Cayon Rockets remain top of the table with 39 points after 16 matches while defending champions St. Paul’s United in second with 31 points, having played one game less. St Peters FC are third with 28 points with Old Road United Jets slipping to fourth with 27 points.
Village Superstars (24) and Conaree FC (24) are fifth and sixth, respectively. Newtown United has fallen to seventh on 23 points with Bath United just above the relegation playoff zone in eighth with 19 points.
Garden Hotspurs are in the relegation playoff spot with 16 points. The three regulation spots are occupied by Saddlers United, Security Forces, and Sandy Point FC with 12, nine, and two points, respectively.
Caglar Soyuncu and Daniel Amartey among seven players leaving Leicester
Leicester have confirmed seven players will depart the club at the end of their contracts in June, including Caglar Soyuncu and Daniel Amartey.
The announcement comes following the Foxes’ relegation to the Championship on the final day of the Premier League season last month.
Turkish defender Soyuncu joined in 2018 from Freiburg and has featured over 100 times for Leicester, while fellow centurion Amartey made his first appearances for the club during their Premier League title-winning season in 2016.
Youri Tielemans is also among those leaving, having announced his exit on Instagram last week after spending four years with the club since joining from Monaco in 2019.
Nampalys Mendy, Ryan Bertrand, Ayoze Perez and Tete are the remaining players who are to leave the King Power following the expiration of their contracts.
Captain Jonny Evans remains in discussions with the Foxes as his contract is set to expire this month, while an option has been exercised to extend Hamza Choudhury’s contract to June 2024.
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