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CUP RELIEF FOR CALDERWOOD
Calderwood - relieved man.
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood was relieved to avoid another cup shock as Chris Maguire's winner saw them safely into the third round of the Co-operative Cup.
Maguire grabbed the only goal of the game against a plucky Ayr United side to avoid a repeat of past upsets, which saw the Dons crash to Queen's Park in the same competition two years ago and Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup last season.
Fellow Scottish Premier League sides Hearts and Inverness saw their own ties against Airdrie United and Arbroath go into extra-time tonight and Calderwood believes his own side deserved to avoid a similar fate at Somerset Park.
"We've had a few disappointing outcomes over the years and luckily that wasn't the case tonight," he said.
"We dominated the game but just didn't score enough goals, especially in the second half.
"They had a big physical presence and at 1-0 you are always worried about extra-time but I thought we deserved to win.
"It was always going to be a difficult one but I understand a couple of our colleagues' games went into extra-time so we have done okay."
Skipper Scott Severin and Zander Diamond were both injured, while Lee Miller missed out through suspension for the Dons.
Calderwood added: "We were missing three big players for what was a difficult cup tie. We started the game well and then got a bit sloppy at times but we managed to get through a tough tie."
Ayr boss Brian Reid had doubts over whether Aberdeen's goal should have been allowed to stand but had no complaints about the efforts of his players.
He said: "We created a few chances, we just didn't put any of them away.
"Overall, I was pleased with the work-rate and commitment and thought we might have got something from the game.
"We lost a sloppy goal and one of my scouts thought it might have been offside but I would need to see it again on the replay.
"I was pleased with the performance - it's just unfortunate that we're out."
