The Dons led twice against Hibs but could only draw and Shinnie’s frustrations were clear.

Graeme Shinnie accepts Aberdeen have no chance of making the top six unless they stop gifting goals

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The Dons have scored five in the last two games but have also conceded the same amount, meaning they have taken just two points. They had a nightmare start where they went 3-0 down to Motherwell while both goals conceded in this game came from blunders from Kelle Roos and Nicky Devlin. Hibs had gone ahead through Martin Boyle but Aberdeen turned it around through Devlin and Jamie McGrath before Emiliano Marcondes hit the equaliser – after VAR ruled it wasn’t offside

Dons captain Shinnie said: “We should have won. We were the better team in the first half. They had more of the ball in the second half but in terms of chances we had decent opportunities. We’re never going to win games with the goals we are conceding. We’re gifting goals and it’s something we need to work on.

“Going forward we’ve been fine. In two games we’ve scored five goals but the problem is we’ve conceded five on the back of that. There are very encouraging signs going forward. We’re getting in good areas and scoring good goals but the ones we’re conceding are not good enough.”

Aberdeen boss Neil Warnock wants talks with the SFA over VAR. He felt Bojan Miovski was pole-axed by David Marshall. Shinnie saw it more as a punch and is harbouring a sense of injustice when it comes to VAR. He said: “It’s been a bit open at times. We had moments going forward and on another day we could have had a penalty when Bojan was punched in the face.

“I felt it was a penalty. Bojan heads the ball first and is punched in the face. It’s not intentional and there’s no malice. I hate going back on things but I won a ball and followed through and got a four-game ban

Both sides felt aggrieved by VAR calls and the reality is that a point wasn’t ideal for either team. Aberdeen and Hibs both look decent going forward but defensively they are miles off it. That is the reason why both teams are languishing in the bottom six and struggling to make the top half.

Neither club has won a league game this year and you wouldn’t bet on either being able to put a run together. Aberdeen have brought in Warnock and he hasn’t exactly given the club the ‘new manager bounce’ in terms of results with two points from a possible nine, with two of those at home.

You could argue Aberdeen might have been better off points-wise if Barry Robson had remained in charge. Chairman Dave Cormack decided to bow to public pressure and make the change. It was also his call to bring in Warnock, who might be experienced but not in the Scottish game. He has given Aberdeen more of a cutting edge but they’re wide open defensively.

Hibs took the lead after Roos’ duffed kick-out gave possession to Joe Newell and it led to Boyle rounding the keeper to net. Aberdeen equalised when Marshall saved from Miovski but Devlin stuck in the rebound. Will Fish failed to clear a Leighton Clarkson cross and that allowed Jamie McGrath to net. Devlin then tried to let a ball run out and let Newell in behind him and he crossed for Marcondes to score.

Warnock called the defending “Sunday League”. That was a bit harsh of the poor souls who were facing the elements yesterday morning. Shinnie said: “He tells you exactly how it is, he doesn’t sugarcoat anything. It’s not as if Barry lost the dressing room. Everyone was playing for him. But the manager has put his own stamp on how he wants to play. The other night we played a five which didn’t work. Today we went back to a four as he is clearly trying to work things out.

“It’s been tough. Drawing at home with Dundee, Motherwell and now Hibs. The goals we’re conceding are frustrating but we will take the point and move on.”