Clarkson Undeterred by Aberdeen’s Three-Game Winless Streak

Midfielder Leighton Clarkson, who netted Aberdeen’s goal in Sunday’s 1-1 stalemate at Tynecastle, asserts that the club is not faltering despite a sequence of three matches without a victory. Under manager Jimmy Thelin, the team commenced the season impressively, remaining undefeated in their initial 12 Premiership fixtures, which allowed them to stay level with Celtic at the league’s summit. Nevertheless, a 2-1 loss to St Mirren was succeeded by a pair of draws in Edinburgh – a 3-3 result against Hibs and then a 1-1 draw at Hearts – positioning the Dons four points adrift of the champions ahead of their encounter on Wednesday. Regarding their three-game winless streak on the road, the midfielder stated, “I don’t think it’s been successful.” He added, “We had nine points to play for and we came out with two.” Clarkson elaborated on the recent performances: “As a team, we weren’t happy with the St Mirren performance. Hibs, it was one of them, we probably should have won that game. Hearts was a fair point in the end.” He acknowledged the difficulty of these away fixtures, noting, “It’s three real tough places to go. Hibs and Hearts are at the bottom of the league, they’re fighting for every ball, every point.” Clarkson also reflected on the opponents’ late pressure: “You saw at the end when Hearts were pushing people forward. It was the same at Hibs. They managed to get that goal, a freak goal [deep into stoppage time].” He concluded by emphasizing the team’s need for improvement: “That’s just where we have to be a bit more comfortable, control the game a lot more and hopefully we can see out those games.” Earlier in the season, Aberdeen recovered from a 2-0 deficit to secure a 2-2 draw at Parkhead, and Clarkson expressed confidence that the Pittodrie supporters will motivate their squad. The 23-year-old commented, “It’s a big game. Being back at home, we’ve got a good record at home. Hopefully, we can go and get three points.” He further added, “We’ll have the whole of Pittodrie behind us, backing us all the way.” Clarkson highlighted the home advantage: “When you get that place bouncing, it’s a real tough place to go for opponents. We’ll be at it Wednesday night and the crowd will be with us too.”