Aberdeen took their time this season to get goals in the league, drawing a blank in four of their first five matches.

Pair that with the fact they found the net just 36 times last season, the lowest in the division, and something had to give for Craig Brown's side to have any hope of a successful campaign.

The summer signings of Niall McGinn and Jonny Hayes suggested width would be the secret to Brown's 4-5-1 system but, as it has developed, greater importance has been placed on central players, including McGinn, to push high and support the lone striker, typically Scott Vernon.

Now 11 goals to the good, Here are how Aberdeen's strikes in the SPL have occurred this season.

Their weekend win over Kilmarnock displayed three subtly different alternatives for finding the net, all harnessing the 4-5-1 system.

For the first, a long ball to Vernon from Andrew Considine was subject to poor defending from Michael Nelson, but it displayed how Gavin Rae drives forward from midfield to win the second ball from any knock down the striker can make. Rae then drove on with the ball and scored his third goal in three games.

The second at Rugby Park showed the effectiveness of McGinn drifting in as a second striker. With the game stretched on the counter by Ryan Fraser on the left, he displayed the maturity needed to hold up the ball long enough for his team-mate to make his run from deep, then play the perfect ball for him to head in.

The final goal, Vernon's first in the league this season, shows he isn't all about being a target man. Taking in the ball himself, he played a neat one-two before bulldozing through, and netting with a composed finish.

With particular regards to Rae and McGinn, the key to their success in front of goal have been there late runs from midfield, overloading central defenders at the last possible moment. Case in point Rae's three goals this season.

And the same for McGinn, although he is given slightly more freedom to push up and even go beyond Vernon.

Add in goals from Isaac Osbourne and Hayes, and it's clear to see the importance Craig Brown places on his midfielders getting into goal scoring positions, as opposed to seeking to get the ball wide in a high position and get it into the box for Vernon. Josh Magennis too has found the net, another example of offensive overloading in and around the box.