Craig Brown praises fans' Pittodrie backing in Pars rout
Last updated on .From the section Football
Aberdeen manager Craig Brown thanked the Dons fans who turned out in the Friday evening pilot match and saw the Reds hammer hapless Dunfermline 4-0.
Fewer than 4,000 paid to see their last home game, the defeat by East Fife, but 8,333 were inside Pittodrie on Friday.
"Two things were apparent tonight - the terrific support we had from the fans and the good attendance," said Brown.
"I was delighted to see them turning out. I want to thank them publicly because the support is incredible."
Brown admitted that he feared the unusual kick-off time, combined with "some indifferent results, not performances", might attract very few supporters.
However, those who did attend - some 700 more than the number who paid to see Aberdeen's last home SPL match on a Saturday, against Kilmarnock on 17 September - were treated to a terrific Dons display.
Paul Gallacher was outstanding in goal for Dunfermline yet still had to pick the ball out of the net on four occasions.
Scott Vernon scored two first-half goals and Fraser Fyvie added a third with a shot from 16 yards just before half-time.
Aberdeen hit the woodwork on a few occasions before Vernon completed his hat-trick with 10 minutes to go.
A relieved Brown added: "We have a great camaraderie throughout the whole staff here. It would be easy for the heads to go down but everyone, while we have been struggling a little to get the results, has been so supportive of the players and myself.
"I think that people will realise that we are trying to work in the right direction here.
"We are far from the finished article. We know that - you just need to look at the league table - but we have been desperately unlucky this season.
"It's not a very impressive points total so far but what I find is a reassurance in the way the team is playing; there is an impressive amount of football in this team."
One of those at the peak of his game was the Aberdeen captain Richard Foster, who terrorised Pars full-back Jason Thomson, especially in the first half.
"Foster was terrific from the back. We had great penetration down the left from Foster and [Rob] Milsom.
"We had equally good penetration on the right with [Ryan] Jack and Fyvie - two young guys.
"Fyvie was away with the Scottish Under-19 team and we missed him the last two games.
"You see from the goal he scored the great potential that he has."
