Adam Rooney on target as Aberdeen deliver

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes praised his side as they moved to within four points of league-leaders Celtic with an impressive win over Dundee in the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership at Dens Park.

Early goals from Niall McGinn and Adam Rooney sealed a 2-0 victory in difficult conditions and their manager took time out to salute their efforts.

McInnes said: “It was tough conditions out there for both sets of players to endure.

“It was an energy-sapping pitch and the Dundee ground staff deserve a lot of credit for getting the game on and we were glad they did.

“Our start was vitally important, we really imposed ourselves, we were aggressive and played at a real tempo.

“They have good players and we did not allow them to settle and we earned our reward for that.

“The conditions were going to have a big impact on the game but we knew if we did a lot of things right, then we would have opportunities to show our quality.

“Kenny McLean was outstanding, especially in the first half but he was ably supported by his team-mates and we could have scored a few more.

“I’m not too concerned about point margins, I’m just pleased to add three points to the ones we earned last week.

Kilmarnock manager Gary Locke claimed their game against Dundee United should not have been given the green light to go ahead on a day when the Scottish fixture card was decimated by the weather.

The artificial surface at Rugby Park no doubt played a part in the decision to play the game but Locke felt strong winds should also have been taken into account.

Speaking after battling out a 1-1 draw, he said: “You’ve got boys who work hard all week and they pay good money to come to the football.

“For me, we call games off if pitches are water-logged, if pitches are solid.

“Certainly, for me, it’s something that should be looked at if the wind is over 30mph or 40mph because you’re not going to get much quality.”

Killie enjoyed a great start when Kris Boyd netted the opener after just three minutes.

But United hauled themselves level when Billy McKay converted from the penalty spot after Stuart Findlay was shown a straight red card.

St Johnstone threw away a 2-0 lead at Ross County, before clinching a 3-2 triumph via David MacKay’s late free-kick.