Three months after being told his cycle was broken Derek McInnes finds himself in the third round of the Europa League.
Pedro Caixinha wasn’t slow to offer his thoughts towards the end of last season as he prepared to snap up Dons skipper Ryan Jack on a Bosman deal.
It looked like doom and gloom for McInnes when Tom Rogic’s late winner in the final of the Scottish Cup was followed by the departures of Jack, Jonny Hayes and Niall McGinn.
The Aberdeen boss looked to Celtic for replacements with Ryan Christie arriving on loan before being joined up by Gary Mackay-Steven.
Both men played key roles in Aberdeen’s 2-0 win away to Siroki Brijeg with Christie providing the pass for both goals and Mackay-Steven scoring the second.
After the win McInnes told The Sun: “We were always confident we could score and once we did I felt we took control. We got stronger as the game wore on and my players’ fitness and sharpness told in the end.
“In hindsight I should have played another pre-season game and I would have taken responsibility had we gone out tonight. This should have been game five for us, not four.”
Aberdeen will now play Apollon Limassol in the third round with the first leg at Pittodrie.
If they get through against the Cypriots Aberdeen will then be up against one of the major sides, possibly a team dropping out of the Champions League qualifiers, in the play-off round for a place in the group phase.
Ryan Jack GIRUY.???????????? pic.twitter.com/NXVIxmbktk
— tam sellics son (@gibbygibbo1) July 20, 2017
