Aberdeen

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

On the final day of last season's Premiership, I watched Dimitar Mitov produce a wonderful penalty save to deny Motherwell's Theo Bair as the Bulgarian helped ensure St Johnstone would be playing top-flight football this term.

Saints led 1-0 at the time, so it was a crucial intervention from the Perth club's undisputed player of the year. They would go on to win 2-1, avoiding the relegation play-off by a whisker.

Mitov was at it again for his new club as Aberdeen left it late to continue Jimmy Thelin's dream start to life in the Pittodrie hotseat. He dived the same way and this save was even better than the one he produced at Fir Park.

I have highlighted a new Aberdeen signing every week this term so far and it is Mitov and Kevin Nisbet's turn this week as both produced moments of magic to maintain the Dons' 100% start.

Despite it only being early September, Mitov could prove to be one of the signings of the window. He has only conceded three goals so far and one of those was an own goal he could do nothing about.

At 27, he is a relative youngster when it comes to the goalkeeping position and his role in Aberdeen’s record-breaking start to the season cannot go unnoticed.

As for Nisbet, he demonstrated why he will be another good signing. Relatively quiet until the 99th minute, his calm finish turned one point into three and it was a reminder of what he can do when given a chance as he looks to reignite his Scotland career.

The Dons have won their nine matches in all competition this season, a feat not achieved since the greatest year in the club’s history, 1983. The longest winning run stands at 15, which was achieved under Eddie Turnbull in 1970-71, and should this team get near that figure they will make people stand up and take notice.

Thelin has presided over four wins in August and for context, it took Aberdeen until December to rack up four victories. They are five points clear of Rangers and 11 ahead of Hearts already.

The Swede can take stock during the international break of what is threatening to be a very fine season down at Pittodrie.

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen midfielder Jamie McGrath has been given the all clear after being taken to hospital following a clash of heads in Saturday's win over Ross County.

McGrath was substituted in the 35th minute for match-winner Kevin Nisbet after the collision with County defender Kacper Lopata.

However, medical investigations have cleared the Republic of Ireland international to return to action in the Dons' next game, at home to Motherwell on 14 September.

McGrath, who is out of contract next summer, has begun the season in impressive fashion with two goals and three assists in the opening four league games.

Image source, SNS

Jimmy Thelin's fine start to life in the Aberdeen dugout continued as a Dons select defeated Cove Rangers 2-0 in Blair Yule's testimonial match.

Shayden Morris and Kevin Nisbet scored in each half as the manager named a strong side, led by Angus MacDonald, at Balmoral Stadium.

Morris breached the Cove backline just before the interval after a competitive first half against the League 1 side.

Peter Ambrose had the ball in the net early on, but was ruled offside, though his replacement, Nisbet, had no such worries.

The Scotland international flicked a header in with minutes remaining to seal victory in a second half where the hosts rattled the woodwork on numerous occasions.

Gary Scott
Fan writer

In recent seasons, Aberdeen fans have often welcomed an upcoming international break as an opportunity for their faltering side to reset, work on things and try to arrest whatever miserable run of form we'd just been subject to.

Now, there's no member of the Red Army welcoming a pause in proceedings until 14 September, such is the momentum and belief coursing from AB24.

Saturday's late, late victory in Dingwall sent Jimmy Thelin's men clear at the top of the table for just shy of 24 hours.

While the performance in general was not one the best Aberdeen have produced under the Swede, the manner of the win has sparked further optimism among the Dons support.

Under recent managers, there is little doubt that once the hour mark had passed, thoughts would have turned towards protecting a point and moving on to avoid losing the game at all costs.

Thelin's ambition was clearly laid out with his attacking substitutions. He has already instilled a winning mentality in his team and an insistence that they do not stop.

Aberdeen have now netted two injury-time winners already this season and have notched six goals from the 80th minute onwards. Ange Postecoglou's Celtic mantra was "we never stop" and it looks and Thelin is getting similar value out of his side.

This is all the more remarkable given the relatively limited turnover of players from the squad Thelin inherited during the summer.

The manager deserves huge credit for his man-management in being able to turn out performances from certain members of the squad whose time at Aberdeen appeared to be up - particularly Shayden Morris, Pape Habib Gueye and Vicente Besuijen.

All in all, so far so good. If Aberdeen can maintain this run after the break, it could prove to be an exceptionally memorable season in more ways than one.

Gary Scott can be found at the ABZ Football Podcast, external

Dimitar Mitov (Aberdeen): Outstanding penalty save was as invaluable to Aberdeen continuing their perfect start to the season.

Alistair Johnston (Celtic): Standout performer every week. Brings so much energy, power and invention to this Celtic side in defence and attack.

Liam Scales (Celtic): Outstanding at the back. Shames the doubters continually by never putting a foot wrong.

Dan Casey (Motherwell): Constant menace in the St Johnstone box, always committed. Plays with fire in his belly.

Ross Graham (Dundee United): Slotting in as a square peg in a round hole at left-back, the centre-back has become one of United's most solid performers in recent weeks and scored the winner at Hearts.

Topi Keskinen (Aberdeen): Direct and impactful performance against Ross County. Looks to have really exciting potential.

Callum McGregor (Celtic): Could have pencilled him in before the match even started. The commander-in-chief of a team in full command of every match they play right now. Another superb performance and another great goal.

Lyall Cameron (Dundee): Plenty of life after Luke McCowan with this young man in the Dundee midfield. An assist and always full of guile.

Daizen Maeda (Celtic): Gave Rangers captain James Tavernier another torrid time. His energy and pace on the left gives Celtic such an advantage over Rangers.

Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic): Have run out of superlatives for his movement. Phenomenal to have a player like this in Scottish football. Lighting up the game for Celtic in the final third.

Kevin Nisbet (Aberdeen): What a way to win over the Dons fans. Felt like a statement moment when he struck home the winner deep in injury time in Dingwall. Bojan who?

Celtic brought in £10.59m more in the summer transfer market than they spent, Aberdeen made a profit of £2.67m, Motherwell were up £1.34m and Heart of Midlothian £1.01m, but Hibernian spent £438,460 more than they brought in, while Rangers' net spend was £11.71m. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Watch Sportscene analysis of the VAR decisions in Aberdeen's Premiership win over Ross County.

Watch highlights as Aberdeen secure a dramatic late win over Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK users only.

Dons fans, we asked for your views after that narrow win over Ross County.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Andy: Never say die attitude, I love it. It's what the Old Firm teams do week in week out and the Dons need to adopt this approach.

Marti: Jimmy Thelin's Dons are fighting until the end. A great save by Dimitar Mitov, and instant hero status for Kevin Nisbet but Ester Sokler needs to do better or he'll be on the bench.

George: We need to play better and turn pressure into goals. Scoring in the last minute to win is good but not good enough. It’s a great start but the Old Firm will be the real test. A great save from Mitov kept us in the game. I hope Jamie McGrath isn’t out long as we missed him when he went off. Nine wins is a fantastic start.

Andrew: The upturn in fortunes on the pitch is astounding. Thelin rightly takes credit for coming in and transforming how we play. I can’t remember an Aberdeen team as good to watch in the last 20 years but Peter Leven is also an unsung hero. Long may it continue. Sivert Heltne Nilsen is the signing of the summer. Everything we were missing after Ylber Ramadani left.

Stuart: More like the Aberdeen of old, never giving up until the whistle goes. Pleased for Kevin Nisbet to get off the mark and hopefully more goals to come.

Donald: A deserved, hard fought victory for the Dons. We enjoyed the lion’s share of the play which is encouraging but we must be more incisive and clinical. County were sporadically threatening which was a concern and must be addressed against stronger opposition. Mitov's penalty save was brilliant and the play leading to Nisbet's goal was class.

Andrew: If I am being 100% honest with myself as a 45-year-old diehard Don's fan where we will go next is anyone's guess. But I have no doubt Jimmy Thelin has a Swedish master plan for us. As fans we may well just have to roll with it! Make no mistake the challenge for second is real. Jimmy is 100% the real deal. Everyone including Celtic take note.

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin was delighted to see new signing Kevin Nisbet score his first Dons goal - a 97th-minute winner against Ross County on Saturday.

The Scotland striker joined last weekend on a season-long loan from Millwall after an injury-hit campaign at The Den.

“Kevin was in the right place at the right time inside the box, and it was also a good cross from Shayden [Morris], but he had to be there and he was," Thelin said.

“We have to be happy and it is good for him to get a goal so soon after joining the club.

"He has pushed in training and he took a lot of defensive responsibility too while being vocal on the pitch, so I'm very happy with that."

The Swedish manager's 100% record looked under threat in Dingwall when his side conceded a second-half penalty, but Dimitar Mitov saved Ronan Hale's spot-kick before Nisbet took centre stage.

"There was a point in the game where Ross County had momentum and had a lot of good situations around our box," Thelin said.

"Then they got the penalty and that could have been a game-changer, but after that we turned things around again and used that spirit.

"It was so quick and it was an amazing save from Dimitar [Mitov]. It was a good penalty but it was also a good save."

Aberdeen top the Scottish Premiership for the first time in almost a decade after Kevin Nisbet's dramatic stoppage-time winner at Ross County gave them a ninth win in nine games under Jimmy Thelin.

Scotland international Nisbet, in his second appearance since signing on loan from Millwall, scored in the eighth minute of injury time.

How it took so long is a mystery, given the number of close calls before then.

County's Ronan Hale thought he had opened the scoring early in the first half when the ball ricocheted off his shin and trickled over the line.

However, his good fortune was short-lived as VAR stepped in to rule the goal out for offside. And there would be further disappointment for the striker when Dimitar Mitov saved his second-half penalty.

Aberdeen also had their moments, Slobadan Rubezic also being thwarted by VAR after he headed in a rebound from Vicente Besuijen’s free-kick.

The winger's effort struck the bar and bounced on the line before Rubezic’s follow-up did the same and, although referee Euan Anderson gave the goal, a lengthy VAR check determined another offside.

In the end, it didn't matter as Nisbet's composed finish ensured Aberdeen move above Celtic at the summit before the reigning champions play on Sunday.

Aberdeen fans, what did you make of the game? Have your say on the performance and result here., external

Image source, SNS

Topi Keskinen. The Finnish winger completed more successful dribbles than any other player on the pitch.

Players are often encouraged to play with their head up, but Keskinen refreshingly plays his head down in wide areas. His first thought is always to beat his opposition full back and not to look for a simple pass.

Pace, trickery and energy.

It took a significant price tag to lure him to Pittodrie, but it looks like money well spent.

Adam Binnie
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

Bojan Miovski was never going to be an easy man to replace but Aberdeen’s new number nine Kevin Nisbet could be the answer.

The 27-year-old was introduced as a first-half substitute, replacing Jamie McGrath who suffered a nasty head knock.

That prompted a tactical change which saw Pape Gueye move out to the left wing and Ester Sokler drop back into the number 10 position, before being replaced by Vincente Besuijen at half-time.

They immediately looked more of a threat and Nisbet netted his first in Aberdeen colours with a superb sweeping finish in the eighth minute of injury time.

The Scotland international scored 27 goals in this division during his time at Hibs and if he can replicate similar form then the Dons might have found their Miovski replacement.

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: “We never give up. We always keep trying.

“When Dimitar [Mitov] saved the penalty, that was a huge moment. I was pleased by how we worked as a team and had players making an impact from the bench.

“I'm happy for team and the support who made it an amazing atmosphere. They gave the players the energy to push right to the last minute.

“I'm really happy but we need to stay humble. It was a tight game and Ross County were good.

“We can celebrate together today, but we have to keep working on Monday and focus on the next game."

Image source, SNS

Ross County: Laidlaw, Brown, Wright, Lopata, Leak, Harmon, Randall, Nisbet, Denholm, Hale, Brophy.

Substitutes: Hamilton, Allardice, Loturi, Chilvers, Grieves, Campbell, Telfer, White, Reid.

Aberdeen: Mitov, Devlin, Rubezic, Molloy, MacKenzie, Shinnie, Heltne Nilsen, Keskinen, Gueye, McGrath, Sokler.

Substitutes: Doohan, Nisbet, McGarry, Besuijen, Palaversa, Morris, Milne, MacDonald, Ambrose.

Jane Lewis, Brian McLauchlin and Tyrone Smith round up all the deadline defying drama as the Scottish transfer window shuts.

From Celtic's record breaking signing to some high profile departures they discuss all the biggest moves in Scotland and cross to Italy to hear about the excitement as Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay move to Napoli.

Listen to the full episode here.

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen teenager Alfie Bavidge has joined Scottish Championship side Ayr United on a season-long loan.

The forward made his Dons debut in February 2023 in a 3-1 win over Motherwell and has since gone on to make five appearances for the first team.

The 18-year-old agreed a contract extension last year that will see the striker remain at the club until at least 2026.

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen have announced defender Jayden Richardson has left the club and there will be no further transfer activity this window.

The 23-year-old, who joined from Nottingham Forest two years ago, made 24 Dons appearances before spending last season on loan at Stockport County and Colchester United.

In the club's deadline-day update, manager Jimmy Thelin declared himself "satisfied" with his summer business, having signed eight players.

"In terms of deadline day, the process of adding any new recruits has ended," he said.

"Overall, we are satisfied with the business we have done over this summer.

"We have added some exciting options and the work on improving the squad will be ongoing as we prepare for January and summer 2025."

We asked for your views on where Aberdeen still need to strengthen before tonight's transfer deadline.

Here's what some of you said:

Robin: We need another central defender, winger and cover at right-back. I get that the management team probably think Jack Milne can cover there but I think we need one more option. A couple of injuries and the backline would become very disjointed with square pegs in round holes.

Justin: We need another central defender on the left side which is very important and then I'd say keep an eye out for an exceptional player that's available in the last hours of the transfer window. Possibly another wide player would be good.

Barry: I still think we need a left-footed winger, as all our wingers are right footed and we need cover for Gavin Molloy on the left side of defence.

Stuart: Bojan Miovski is gone, so we need a proper goalscorer. Pape Gueye is doing great, Ester Sokler isn't doing it at the minute, I’m not sure if he is the right guy. Loaning Kevin Nisbet is a makeshift, I’m not sure about that.

Peter: We've had a good window with some excellent signings who have hit the ground running. If you'd said Clarkson and Polvara would get long-term injuries and we wouldn't miss them I'd have been surprised. We probably need a left-sided centre-back as cover.

Peter S: I think we need a bit more cover defensively. I'd also like to see the young Australian winger Marcus Younis signed as an additional option. I'd like to see Duk moved on, his attitude won't be good for the dressing room if he comes back.

Kev: I'd like another keeper, the current number one seems more adept to volleyball than football. Also, a decent central defender would be nice. Anyone who can put in a good tackle, then make a decent pass with the result will do.

Fred: We need some cover for the defence as there will be an inevitable injury or two. It would also be beneficial to sign another winger and midfielder so the squad has more depth.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin has paid tribute to fellow Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson and revealed he received a video message from him just before he took charge at Pittodrie.

Former England manager Eriksson, who had been battling cancer, died at the age of 76 earlier this week.

Thelin said Eriksson is a "big role model for all the coaches in Sweden".

He added: "If you look at his history, it is incredible what he has done, a good inspiration and also how he was good in-man management and a calm guy.

"I got a really nice video sent to me before I came over here from him personally that I am going to keep.

"It is tough for all the Swedish football family, and not only Sweden, he is being celebrated everywhere. He is a really big man and a good human being.

"He is way ahead of everybody else (in Swedish sport) , top top and in the world also."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin is keeping his cards close to his chest on whether further signings will arrive before Friday night's transfer deadline.

The Swede has been busy so far this summer, recruiting eight players.

Speaking before Saturday night's Premiership trip to Ross County, Thelin said: "We are still working on things.

"It is always ongoing work behind the scenes because as long as the window is open, and after the window is closed, we are still going to keep working to try to improve Aberdeen and the team.

"I can’t answer if it is some specific number or also if players are going to leave us.

"My focus is on the game but we have a good staff who keep an eye on the market and let's see what is happening."

He added: "The window is the window, let's see after the clock is ticking tomorrow.

"My experience is the window is quite long, but for some strange reason everything happens in the last hours every year so let's see."