Dundee 3 Aberdeen 2: Graeme Shinnie’s potential final game for Dons and blow as Mats Knoester stretchered off injured

Aberdeen’s dismal season petered to a finish with a 3-2 loss at Dundee, with many in an underperforming team having inevitably played their final game for the club.

Boss Stephen Robinson successfully saved the Reds from the threat of a relegation play-off and can now focus fully on the summer transfer window rebuild.

The loss condemned the Dons – with a final points count of 40 – to a ninth-placed Premiership finish, as they were overtaken by their Dens Park hosts. It is Aberdeen’s lowest points tally since 2011!

However, Reds boss Robinson will go into summer sweating about the fitness of influential centre-back Mats Knoester, who was stretchered off early in the first half.

Dundee went ahead in the 10th minute when Drey Wright netted from close range.

Aberdeen hit back in the 23rd minute when Liam Morrison met a Lyall Cameron corner to head beyond keeper Kieran O’Hara.

The Dons netted six minutes into first-half stoppage time when a low Cameron low was deflected and Toyosi Olusanya redirected the ball into goal.

But Dundee levelled in the second half via a Joe Westley shot and, in the 90th minute, Ryan Astley headed in at a corner as Aberdeen’s vulnerability at defending set-pieces was yet again exposed.

We look at three talking points:

Injury nightmare for Mats Knoester

Aberdeen centre-back Knoester was stretchered off after only 14 minutes having suffered an injury in the build up to Dundee’s opening goal.

Knoester attempted to clear on the Dons goal-line, but, in the process of trying to connect with the ball, accidentally caught scorer Drey Wright.

Dutch defender Knoester came off worst and crumpled to the ground with what appeared to be a leg injury as Wright scored.

Knoester received treatment on the pitch for four minutes before being stretchered off.

It is the latest blow for the defender, who was named Aberdeen’s player of the year at the club’s recent awards ceremony.

Knoester was ruled out for three months, having suffered a neck injury during a 3-0 loss to Kilmarnock on January 31.

Dutch stopper Knoester was knocked unconscious in that match against Kilmarnock and stretchered off .

The defender was forced to wear a brace for six weeks and only returned to action as a substitute in the 1-0 win against Kilmarnock on April 25.

This was only Knoester’s third start, and fifth appearance, since coming back from injury.

Now boss Robinson will face a sweat to see if Knoester will be fit in time for the start of pre-season next month.

Aberdeen had another centre-back scare when QPR loanee Morrison required treatment for a head injury after a clash of heads with Fin Robertson.

After a lengthy period of treatment on the pitch of around five minutes, Morrison continued with his head heavily bandaged.

Aberdeen farewell for some players

Dens Park will ultimately be the farewell for many Aberdeen players as boss Robinson tears up the squad in the summer window.

The biggest question is whether captain Graeme Shinnie will sign a new contract to remain at Pittodrie next season, or move on.

Scottish Cup-winning skipper Shinnie’s contract expires in the summer and he has yet to pen a contract extension.

Aberdeen boss Robinson admitted last week he did not know whether the game at Dundee would be Shinnie’s last appearance for the club.

The Dons recently opened up fresh talks with the 34-year-old in a bid to get him to sign a new deal, with the possibility of mixing playing with coaching.

Robinson is determined to have the midfielder at the club to lead his new-look team next season – but it still remains up in the air.

Whenever Shinnie warmed up in front of the sizeable travelling Dons support, they chanted “Graeme Shinnie, he’s one of our own”.

Shinnie was on the bench, but came on in the 69th minute.

There were four players in the starting line-up who WILL exit Aberdeen – loanees Dennis Geiger, Lyall Cameron, Toyosi Olusanya and Morrison.

Robinson has indicated he would be open to the possibility of QPR centre-back Morrison, who netted against Dundee, returning on loan next season.

Aberdeen have an option to buy Hoffenheim midfielder Geiger, but the wages involved would make a permanent deal virtually impossible.

Geiger is on a lucrative deal at the German Bundesliga side and has a year left on his contract.

Robinson has also admitted finances would be prohibitive to any permanent move for Rangers midfielder Cameron in the summer.

Cameron pitched in with the assist for Aberdeen’s opening goal.

Robinson is keen to extend goal-scorer Olusanya’s stay at the club.

Olusanya is contracted to Houston Dynamo until December, but the MLS club have the option to extend that by a year.

Robinson spent three days at Cormack Park in the build up to the Dundee game in discussions with players regarding their futures.

Some will be sold during the summer, others moved out on loan, as Robinson aims to revamp a team that finished in the Premiership’s bottom six.

It is position unacceptable for Aberdeen and many players will inevitably pay the price.

Long-awaited debut for Nick Suman

The final Premiership match of the season was used by boss Robinson to monitor keeper Nick Suman in a competitive game environment.

Suman came in for a long-awaited Dons competitive debut, having signed last summer following the expiration of his contract with League One Cove Rangers.

The Australian stopper was second choice at Pittodrie for the first half of the season until he suffered an ankle injury in training.

That forced the Dons to sign Norwegian international Per Kristian Bratveit, who was a free agent, during the January transfer window.

Dimitar Mitov has retained the No.1 spot under Robinson, but recently underwent surgery on a groin injury.

This was an opportunity for Suman to show Robinson what he can do.

Suman conceded just 10 minutes into his debut when a cross from Cam Congreve was headed back across goal by Charlie Reilly and Wright was well placed to fire in from close range.

That early goal did not rattle the keeper, though.

In the 21st minute, Suman did well to dive low to his right to block a low drive from Robertson.

For Dundee’s second goal, Suman was left exposed by his defence when Reilly burst clean through the defence on to a Congreve flick and in on goal.

Suman saved Reilly’s shot one-on-one at the near post – however, the defence were slow to react to the loose ball and Westley fired in.

In the 90th minute, Suman let in a third goal when Astley headed in a corner.

Suman faced six shots and saved three for a 50% success rate.

ABERDEEN (4-3-1-2): Suman 5; Milne 5, Morrison 5, Knoester 2 (Devlin 14), Molloy 5; Kjartansson 5 (Aremu 76), Cameron 6 (Bilalovic 69), Keskinen 5 (Milanovic 69); Geiger 5 (Shinnie 69); Olusanya 6, Nisbet 5.

Subs not used: Bratveit, Frame, Lobban, Jamie Mercer.

DUNDEE (4-2-3-1): O’Hara 6; Wright 6, Astley 6, Koumtio 6, Samuels 6 (Graham 87); F. Robertson 7, Hamilton 6 (Cotterill 77); Jones 6, Congreve 7 (Yogane 77), Reilly 6 (Bevan 68); Westley 6 (Murray 77).

Subs not used: Sharp, C. Robertson, Hay, Halliday.

Referee: Ross Hardie

Attendance: 8,279

Man-of-the-Match: Cam Congreve (Dundee).

[Source: Press and Journal]