SCOTTISH football’s on and these days mostly off relationship with the Europa League took another turn for the worse at Pittodrie.

It's going to take more than counselling to sort this out.

Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia, a team many in this country would still insist on calling a minnow while ignoring our own place on planet fitba, deserved their draw with Aberdeen.

Whisper this, but in the end, for the Premiership’s second-best team, this 1-1 was a decent result given how their opponents played in the final half hour.

Aberdeen simply ran out of steam. They had taken the lead, were playing some nice stuff, and then hit a wall. It is the Bosnians who are the favourites to get through now.

Derek McInnes spoke before the match about his club winning respect on the European stage. Mission, sadly, was far from accomplished.

Local hero and all-round living legend Denis Law was watching in the stand. What would the great man have made of this? Not a lot would be my guess.

Gary Mackay-Steven was given a start some 15 hours after signing for Aberdeen and while he should be an asset could not fully contribute. He wasn’t alone.

“The Cycle Continues” said a banner. It was a dig at Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha but the sad fact is the chronic cycle is that of Scottish clubs outwith Celtic failing to beat even the most modest of opposition.

Siroki weren’t great but the first chance fell to them ten minutes in when for a moment Ivan Kristanovic looked to be through on goal inside the Aberdeen box when Mark Reynolds did some tidying up.

It was a warning that they were serious.

That woke up the men in red. Within a minute, Ryan Christie won a free-kick on the edge of the Bosnians’ box which he took himself: a curled shot which goalkeeper Luka Bilobrk palmed away. The ball was played back in which gave Adam Rooney a half chance which wasn’t converted.

The next opportunity was taken on 18 minutes.

From a long punt, he will claim a pass, by Aberdeen keeper Joe Lewis, Christie collected the ball, showed composure to keep possession rather than go for the immediate pass, the Siroko back four kindly opened up fro him and he directed his shot low into the bottom corner.

So far, so good. But perfection is boring. While the men from Bosnia were far from great, Aberdeen were still hospitable enough to give their giant of a forward Dejan Cabraja a shot at goal on 25 minutes. It was a shot he should have done much better with.

Indeed, while Aberdeen were fine enough in an attacking sense, they were far from secure when in their own final third which can be a problem.

However, it probably should have been 2-0 on 34 minutes. Graeme Shinnie’s intelligent ball over the top meant Mackay-Steven had a clear route through on goal.

The bounce of the ball and position of Siroki keeper Bilobrk called for a lob, the new man plumped for taking the ball on the ground and his effort, although still decent, was deflected into the side-net.

On the stoke of half time, after a bit of possession from the visitors, Dino Coric crossed from the right and the dangerous looking Cabraja somehow managed to put his header wide when the worst he should have done was to get the ball on target.

It was a strange match to sum up at the break. Aberdeen were the better team but Siroki should have scored at least once.

This meant Siroki had to be watched whenever they got the ball wide and as the second-half went on they became, if not confident, then certainly more comfortable.

Andrew Considine was booked, harshly it must be said, for clashing in the air with Coric who seemed to be in agony before making one of those remarkable recoveries so often seen in football.

Indeed, on 59 minutes, perhaps ten seconds after his near-death experience, he had enough about him to deliver a perfect cross to that man Cabraja who rose high but header wide. It was another let off.

Mackay-Steven had been rusty and he made way for another new signing Nicky Maynard.

Aberdeen needed to give themselves a shake and came close to a second on 65 minutes. Shinnie had been good all game so it was no surprise it was his cross which causes problems but it came as a shock that Shay Logan of all people got his head to it, only to be denied by a fine Bilobrk save.

And then on 69 minutes came the moment Pittodrie was dreading.

Once again when Siroki got forward, Aberdeen sat back and in this game danger turns up even if it’s not asked for. Coric played a ball into the box, it was partially cleared to Stipo Markovic who then steered his left shot past Lewis.

It would have gotten worse had Logan not stuck out a leg to deny Begonja a certain goal.

Aberdeen could, of course, still got through. But a European run for our team these days tens to number two games. It’s a tad depressing.

Aberdeen: Lewis; Logan, Reynolds, O’Connor, Considine; Tansey, Shinnie; Christie, McLean (Stewart 73), Mackay-Steven (Maynard 63); Rooney Storey 87)

Substitutes not used: Rodgers, Wright, McKenna, Harvey

Siroki: Aberdeen: Bilobrk, Dino Coric, Bralic, Barisic, Markovic, Begonja, Matic, Loncar Coric 75), Menalo, Krstanovic, Cabraja.

Substitutes not used: Zlomislic, Kozul, Wagner, Corluka, Griubisic, Nikic

Referee: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)

Attendance: 17,007