FC Kairat Almaty vs Aberdeen preview - Ward happy to be thrown in at Dons

Posted Wednesday, July 29, 2015 by PA

Aberdeen goalkeeper Danny Ward is relishing the flying start to his career in Scotland.

The on-loan Liverpool player has helped Aberdeen come through difficult Europa League ties in Macedonia and Croatia in his first few weeks at the club and will now aim to shut out Kazakhstan league leaders Kairat Almaty on Thursday.

The 22-year-old has been catapulted into the number one spot ahead of Scott Brown and Jamie Langfield and has embraced the responsibility.

The Welshman told RedTV: "I wouldn't have it any other way, chucked straight in, it makes you realise that you have to adapt. All the lads and the staff have been brilliant with me and the games have come thick and fast, which is how I want it.

"All the lads made it so easy for me in a couple of days. I don't think I have witnessed a team spirit quite like it and hopefully we can take that on to the pitch for the rest of the season."

Kairat have never been this far in European competition, the third qualifying round, but they have comfortably beaten former European champions Red Star Belgrade and Alashkert, St Johnstone's conquerors.

They recently signed former Bayern Munich midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, who is now 36, and there have been some confident proclamations coming from the well-funded club.

But Ward insists that anyone who underestimates Aberdeen does so at their own peril.

"People abroad always seem to have this thing about Scottish football, they think 'ah well, we will beat them'," he said.

"But we are the same. we were guilty of it in the first game.

"Just because we don't know who these teams are or have never heard of them, doesn't mean they are going to be a bad team.

"We learnt that from Shkendija, they gave us a real good go over two legs.

"We expect the same from this lot in Kazakhstan. We expect it to be a tough test, so we have to do the same things, stay well-drilled, defend right and hopefully be clinical going forward."