It was a hard fought win for Aberdeen at Dens Park this afternoon and afterwards, Jimmy Thelin was full of praise for both teams after they served up an entertaining game.

“We had to fight very hard to win, it was not an easy game. Tony is a really good coach. His team has a clear identity of how they want to play and they did it consistently over the second half. They were really strong and came at us again and again and again.

“We needed every player on the pitch to help to defend and so you have to respect their effort to try to turn around the game but also I’m really proud of the players today and the fans, how we took on the challenge and stick together until the end and get the points.

“When we defend low, we can be quite dangerous in transitions. But after the penalty, they got the energy and then came out in the second half with a really strong identity, how they want to pick up the second ball, go again, try in behind and it demands everything from our players until the end. It’s not easy to be so consistent in defence and that’s what I’m really proud of.

“All the players play a part. So Topi scored a goal and showed his strength in the transition, but it was also important how he defended today. In the second half, he did a lot of running and gave good help to Nicky. That’s important, that the players are competitive in both directions, not only one direction. Because they were winning a lot of second balls, we changed a little bit the dynamic on the midfield and Shinnie was important in this. He has this never-ending energy on the pitch. Everybody makes their contribution.”

It’s 12 wins out of 12 for the Dons since Jimmy Thelin came to Pittodrie in the summer, but the manager is clearly not interested in the results the Dons have got – he’s already onto the next game.

“We don’t talk about a winning run or an unbeaten run inside the locker room and inside the club. We talk about the next game and the next training session, and that’s all. That’s what we’re focusing on, and that’s why we are happy today with three points, but now we start to think about Hearts next week. Fans have to have big dreams and enjoy these wins, but we have to focus on our job and stick with that.

“We know the league stops in May and we have a long period to go until then, so that’s why we always try to be humble and to improve things. We still have a lot of things to improve. We have to grow as a team. I’m happy with the start but football can change fast and so we need to stay with our feet on the ground and work hard. We are so focused on the day work, daily work, that’s where our mindset is.

“From day one, we talk about team spirit. We need a good squad and a good squad is also about teammates, how they push each other in the training sessions. If they play, if they don’t play, if they’re not inside the squad, we need to keep the energy together. This togetherness is everything for us and also how we share it with the supporters today and all the other people who work inside the club. This atmosphere we have right now at Cormack Park and at Pittodrie, that’s the key because we need energy from every direction to keep moving as a football club and as a football team.”