Are Jimmy Thelin's Aberdeen showing signs of releasing handbrake?

"When we release the handbrake and start playing, then everybody grows."

Aberdeen fans have been waiting some time for Jimmy Thelin's side to take that handbrake off.

Following Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Motherwell, the Scottish Cup holders remained anchored at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership without a league goal to their name.

The prospect of Shakhtar Donetsk coming to Pittodrie in the Europa Conference League on Thursday would have understandably caused a fair whack of concern.

But, despite falling to a 3-2 defeat to the Ukrainians, there were flickers of promise from a grim run which has offered up precious little light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

In the build-up, captain Graeme Shinnie admitted the players had "100 per cent" let down Thelin so far this season, but can Dons fans still be optimistic for this season?

Three fresh summer arrivals were named by Thelin in his starting XI to face Shakhtar at Pittodrie, and all three repaid their manager's show of faith.

Stuart Armstrong, Marko Lazetic, and Jesper Karlsson were industrious when needed and dynamic going forward when freed up.

Lazetic, once of AC Milan, arrived to much acclaim, as did on-loan Bologna winger Karlsson, and both showed their potency and threat.

The former looked promising, with his ability to hold the ball up and create shooting space for himself in tight spaces, adding another dimension to an attack that had been blunt for months.

While the latter showed some much-needed confidence to bury his early penalty and remained lively, showing his determination to pitch in for the side and defend as part of a unit, too.

Armstrong was crucial in linking the play but did his best work off the ball, working doggedly to stop the visitors progressing into the final third.

When Nicky Devlin pounced to nod in his side's second with 20 minutes to go after Marko Lazetic's spectacular effort was tipped onto the bar, the home fans matched their side's energy levels on the park as they hoped for a grandstand finish.

"The positive thing was we were connecting with the fans, showing some desire, passion, and personality on the pitch and fighting for Aberdeen football club," Thelin said.

"We have to build on this now and learn from this. We always have to go out on the pitch to show how hard we are fighting for them.

"We did that today, the fans pushed the players to the last minute. We have to have that mentality every game. Now we will see the strength of character we have as a team in another important game on Sunday."

The swell of support inside Pittodrie as they watched their side drive forward in the final half hour will also serve as encouragement for the embattled Thelin, who can take solace from the support within the fan base.

Donetsk are a side that arrived with a reputation for dynamic attacking play, having scored 14 goals in seven domestic league appearances, but Aberdeen matched their drive and zeal when the game was at its most frenetic.

Speaking pre-match, Thelin spoke about his enthusiasm for his side's new shape.

The Swede had stuck rigidly to a 4-2-3-1 system since arriving in Scotland last summer, except for one famous exception - 5-3-2 in the Scottish Cup final against Celtic - but has now moved back to a hybrid defence with three central defenders and two versatile wingbacks.

It remains to be seen what Thelin does when his side next take to the field on Sunday as Dundee come to Pittodrie. However, former Aberdeen captain Willie Miller is encouraged.

"You felt when it went to 3-1, Aberdeen decided they had nothing to lose although at that point you are a bit nervous it could get embarrassing," he said.

"All of a sudden they opened up, the whole game was turned on its head. I thought the Lazetic's turn and strike was something special. It tells you so much when the fans stay back and applaud a team that has shown a bit of guts and determination and some good play to get themselves back into the game.

"You can see that things are beginning to turn around."

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