It was a satisfied Jim Goodwin who spoke to the press tonight after his Aberdeen side had completed a deserved 1-0 win over Dundee, easing their position at the bottom end of the table.
“All that really mattered today was winning, however we did it. We’re not going to over celebrate because we’re in a really poor place in the league for this club and, with all due respect, we should be beating Dundee more often than not at Pittodrie. But in the circumstances, it opens up the gap to St Johnstone and makes the league table look more comfortable than it did. The job isn’t completely done, but I think we’re all feeling a bit relieved to have got those three points today.
“There was a bit of pressure an anxiety felt by both sets of players today, as is only natural in the situation. I’m really pleased we were able to handle it in the second half. We started the game well, then Dundee came back into it which made for an even first half. We caused a few problems for ourselves with being slack in possession and poor decision making at times, playing when we should have been clearing our lines. We got away with it a couple of times, then second half, we were quicker in our passing, better tempo, defended better and so we won the game. I’m also delighted we kept a clean sheet, it’s been too long since that happened, and very pleased for Joe who was called upon on a couple of occasions to make very good saves.
“It’s important to say that the supporters deserve credit for sticking with us all afternoon. It would have been very easy for them to think it was going to be another one of those days, but they kept with the players. They’ll be able to go and have a couple of beers tonight and enjoy their Saturday night the way they should be able to after a game here.”
Goodwin admitted that the supporters weren’t alone in feeling the tension of the game.
“I’ve not been able to experience standing on the touchline and being able to relax and enjoy the play since I got here. It’s always been a bit nervy. It might have been a bit easier had we got the penalty at the start of the second half, because I thought Jack MacKenzie was wiped out in the box, but in the end, we won the game so that’s not such a sore one this time.
“Jonny did really well for the penalty that we did get. I asked the forward players to be direct and he was, very positive, got into the box and made something happen. Lewis showed great bravery to out the ball down and stick it away the way he did.”
With Aberdeen a point from safety thanks to their vastly superior goal difference, the manager was able to take a wider view of the game and the season as a whole, and was able to pick out some important positives.
“For how disappointing this season has been, there are positives, and that comes especially in the young players. Jack has had real problems with injuries that have disrupted him a bit but he’s come back and played the last couple of games and done very well. He’s very professional, he’s got a great attitude and appetite for the game.
“Calvin has already won the Young Player of the Year award off the writers, Connor has come in to midfield and impressed. There are plusses to take from a season we’d otherwise like to forget. They’ll have learnt from this year and now we want to see them improve and we want to help them with their development.
“Calvin’s had a couple of niggles this season, he’s a young boy and it’s important not to ask too much from them at that age. He’s only 18 and we need to protect him and manage him, which is why he’s been on the bench for a couple of games.
“Prior to January, he was one of the best young full-backs in the world and that is no exaggeration. His stats, his data, his attacking numbers, the crosses and assists he had was incredible. He had a bit of a dip in form after injury, maybe all the outside noise affected him as well, that can have a big impact on a young lad. Today, we’ve seen him getting back to his best.
“I wanted him in the team because I felt today, it was important to put as offensive a team out there as possible, two strikers up front, real pace on the flanks with Jonny and Vinny, backed up by two energetic full-backs. We tried to be open and attack minded, and we’d have loved to give supporters two or three more goals to enjoy, but as I said, today was all about getting the win.”
There was another all-action performance from Vicente Besuijen to admire too, and Goodwin explained that he is very much in the mould of the kind of personalities that he wants to attract to Pittodrie this summer.
“It’s important we have strong characters in the dressing room that are able to handle the level of expectation at a big club like this and Vicente has that about him. Great belief and self confidence, if he gives the ball away, he doesn’t hide, he goes looking for it again, never shirks a tackle, even when he was getting kicked up and down the park in the second half. The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for getting him here in January.
“Playing here isn’t for everybody. When things are going well, it’s easy. But when the chips are down at a club of these expectations, it’s another thing and that’s when you find out a lot about players. That will be a big part of our recruitment in the summer. Of course they have to be players who are good enough to play at the level we want to be, but they need to have the character to handle it as well.”
