Aberdeen star sending pre match text to Hibs ace as he hopes for friend's no-show amid bouncing derby factor
The former Aberdeen man faces former teammates in Hibs colours tonight.
Aberdeen star Jack Milne will send his mate at Hibs a pre-match text - but is hoping for an off-night from an ace he knows well.
David Gray’s side are looking to build on a huge Premiership win over Hearts by rounding off 2025 with a big victory over the Dons. It would be another major lift in the hunt for European football against an Aberdeen side who have had an upturn in form and put themselves a spot behind Hibs, occupying sixth.
Hibs victory could move them six clear of Aberdeen with a game in hand and one Easter Road star Milne knows all about is McGrath, who joined the Leith side from Pittodrie on a pre-contract. Off the back of a goal and an assist in the derby, the Aberdeen defender is well aware of McGrath’s ability, and hopes to find the way to put clamps on inside a raucous arena.
Aberdeen on Jamie McGrath
Milne said: "Jamie's a great player and obviously I've seen first-hand what he can do. He's a friend of mine and is doing really well. I'll drop him a text before the game but hopefully on Tuesday he won't be at it! He's a very good player who can hurt you from anywhere, though.
"He's very versatile and likes to drift into positions on the pitch where defenders don't want to go. He's intelligent but hopefully we deal with him on Tuesday. We dominated large parts of our 1-1 against Dundee United at the weekend but didn't create enough chances to score more.
"It'll suit us that it's likely to be a more open game against Hibs. They'll be bouncing after a great result in the Edinburgh derby. But we'll still be backing ourselves to take the three points. We want to close the gap, and with Europe done for now, the full focus is on the league.
Hibs vs Aberdeen verdict
"We are trying to rack up the points to get up the table and we've got some decent results away from home. Some of the goals we've conceded, we know we haven't been good enough.
"I can understand the fans' frustration because we're frustrated too. It's too easy at times and we make mistakes, myself included. It's something we need to sweet revenge by winning tidy up if we want to win games. It's difficult when you feel you're dominating games, on the front foot, and you get caught out.
"Our job as defenders is to deal with that and be ready for anything. Clean sheets are so important. We have won 1-0 four times this season and Saturday could have been another one. They didn't create a lot and their goal just wasn't good enough."