It was a tighter game than we’ve been used to at Pittodrie of late, but the outcome was the same – an Aberdeen win. Jim Goodwin used the opportunity to heap praise on his defenders after a spell when it’s been the forwards grabbing the headlines.

“We saw a different side to the team tonight. We were up against it in terms of their possession but I felt there was good discipline throughout the team. We didn’t give up opportunities. If Kelle has made three world class saves, it’s a different story, but for all the ball they had, I didn’t feel too concerned to be perfectly honest.

“I didn’t feel they caused many problems, Kelle didn’t have much to do. Fletcher had one good opportunity at the back post, but other than that I felt the defenders were comfortable. They’ve been criticised for not keeping clean sheets, being vulnerable at set plays and not defending the box, well that wasn’t the case tonight.

“Our attacking players have received many plaudits this season, but the boys at the back deserve some for that performance tonight. We had to dig in, win our battles and we ground out the result.

“The result was crucial tonight and a scrappy 1-0 win was something I’d have taken all day long before the game. I thought first half we were very good and dominated for long periods, probably should have added to the lead when Duk had a good chance just before the break. Second half we were happy to allow them possession in their half because with the pace they have, we didn’t want to leave ourselves open. We sat off a little bit and see if they could break us down.

“We looked good on the counter-attack all night. Matty had a chance at the death, and the penalty came from a counter-attack, great link up play between Miovski and Duk.”

With the team heading into the World Cup break, there’s room for quiet satisfaction at the way the season has panned out thus far according to the manager.

“The objective prior to the break was to get to the semi-final of the cup, which we have, and to be sitting where we are in the league tonight. There’s frustration where you look at certain games and think we should be three or four points better off, but that’s me being greedy because I’m sure plenty of other teams will say the same.

“This is a really competitive league. We all need a reality check sometimes. Sometimes I’m too hard on the players because I was bitterly disappointed to lose at Livingston, but then I look at the league table, see how well Livingston are doing, and think maybe I need to give the boys a break. We’re a work in progress, nowhere near the finished article, there are inconsistencies we need to work on, but we continue to work hard on that and it’ll come.

“Tonight you look at Dundee United who have a number of internationals, one of the most experienced number nines in the league, they’re a good side who are in a false position at the moment I think, but every single week is challenging.

“There’s no easy games, honestly there aren’t. We’ve done great to win six out of seven at home, we need to maintain that and then be better on the road after the break. That’s something we’re going to work hard on during the break.

“We’ve got a week in Atlanta, to see our partner club, Atlanta United, it’ll be great to build some relationships there and see how they do things. There’ll be a bit of down time there too, the players have earned that. There’ll be a week off, the players can enjoy some time with their families, and then we’ll be back at it, ready for Celtic and Rangers here and an away trip to St Mirren.

“We’re all looking forward to a bit of family time, because thy are very patient and supportive with us because this is a very selfish game at times – I’m off to Atlanta for a week while my wife looks after three kids. We couldn’t do it without their support.”

The Dons couldn’t do it without the backing of the supporters either and Goodwin was delighted to see another busy night at the Pittodrie turnstiles.

“It was another great crowd inside Pittodrie tonight and I think it shows the community are enjoying what they’re seeing. We’ve played better than we did tonight, but we’re grateful to the fans for their continued support, home and away.

“We’re well aware how tough times are financially for everybody, we don’t take that support for granted and I hope they’ll come back in those same numbers after the break.”