Peterhead On While McGhee & Co Head Off?

THE DONS face their second pre-season friendly under new boss Mark McGhee tonight — but the gaffer may not make the journey north.

McGhee is determined to sign young central defender Reda Johnson, and says he may fly to Paris today to seal the deal, missing tonight's game.

The new boss also confirmed that a member of the Dons coaching staff would travel to Iceland to watch the Europa League Second Qualifying Round second leg between Fram Reykjavik and SK Sigma Olomouc on Thursday evening.

This would mean that Scott Leitch would be the only senior member of the coaching staff at Balmoor tonight, but McGhee is happy to leave his right-hand man in charge.

He said: "Reda Johnson is not a signed player as yet. We are trying hard to finalise it but it's a slow process.

"I'm still talking to his representatives and they are talking to his club. There will be more dialogue tomorrow and I might even fly overseas [today] to try and tie up a deal. A face-to-face meeting may be enough to finalise it.

"If I am away then Scott will take the team at Peterhead in my place. I'm prepared to miss a game to get him in."

Meanwhile Tommy Wright and Bertrand Bossu will definitely miss tonight's match — the second of only three before the Dons face competitive action for the first time this season in the Europa Cup.

McGhee added: "It is very important that I gauge my strongest team quickly with the European game next Thursday.

"As we have only got three pre-season games before the European tie every game is important. On Saturday we played a certain way and we will tweak that a little bit [tonight].

"We will play to our strengths. If our strengths mean we can play 4-3-3 we will. If it means we can't then we won't. We will not play 4-3-3 for the sake of it."