Aberdeen 2-0 Hamilton: Derek McInnes praises Dons' powers of recovery

Derek McInnes' Aberdeen lost 3-2 on aggregate against Cypriot side Apollon Limassol

Derek McInnes was delighted with Aberdeen's resilience as they recovered from their European exertions to get the better of Hamilton Academical.

A 2-0 defeat away to Cypriot side Apollon Limassol on Thursday night ended the Dons' Europa League hopes.

Boss McInnes made only four changes against Accies on Sunday but his side still ran out 2-0 winners at Pittodrie.

"They deserve so much credit for getting themselves game ready for that today," he told BBC Scotland.

"We all know what Hamilton are, at the very least they give you a real competitive game, they get after you and make the game quick. We needed to be ready for that and I thought we were at the start of the game.

McInnes was pleased with Scott Wright's performance against Accies

"It's never easy when Hamilton are preparing on Thursday and Friday and our players are playing in that type of heat, travelling through the night and sleeping through the day. It's a huge advantage physically for Hamilton today but our players coped very well."

Anthony O'Connor nodded the Dons into the lead and after Accies had Xavier Tomas sent off for a second yellow card, substitute Miles Storey put the game beyond doubt.

"We scored a good goal and passed up a few opportunities," McInnes said. "Some of the play was really good, some of it not so good. We were a bit sloppy and over-indulgent at times, but 1-0 was a fair reflection at half-time and I thought we were good for another goal - although it didn't come until later in the game.

'I was proud of the players'

"I think what's clear, you can see when we're hot we're going to be really hot but I'd still like us to be a bit more mindful of doing the basics right, getting that element of control. I think today a lot of that has to do with the exertions and coming back from Europe."

Winger Scott Wright was a stand-out for the Dons and McInnes was thrilled with the 19-year-old's display.

"He was a bundle of energy, he was positive and I thought he needed a bit more protection at times - there was a tackle on him that bordered on a red card for me, although I'd need to see it again," he added.

"He was a real handful for each and every one of the Hamilton players he came up against. It was a good game for him to come into. He was a real positive."

Martin Canning endured some frustrating moments but was pleased with aspects of his side's display

Hamilton avoided relegation to the Championship last season by virtue of a play-off win over Dundee United and despite the end result at Pittodrie, manager Martin Canning was keen to take the positives.

"We competed well and were right in the game until near the end," he told BBC Scotland. "We started the second half well, we stayed in the game and I was proud of the players, especially the way they reacted when we went down to 10 men.

"We want to be at this level and we think we deserve to be at this level - today proves that as we competed with one of the best teams in this country."