It was a day of firsts at Pittodrie this afternoon, a first league win of 2022 for the Dons and Jim Goodwin’s first three points as Aberdeen boss. The manager was clearly thrilled with the result – and the performance – when he spoke to the press afterwards.
“I’m obviously delighted to get that first win, it’s been a while coming. The two draws against Motherwell and Dundee United were decent performances, we were ok at Ibrox as well, but today was very pleasing. We had a really good couple of weeks with the players in preparation and their attitude and application in training has been excellent, exactly the response we wanted.
“As a group we believe we’ve still got chance to make amends on the season. The players are an honest group, they don’t need telling that’s what gone before isn’t acceptable for a club this size, but we have two more games now to put it right if things go in our favour.
“I think we’re improving, I think people can see what we’re trying to do. We’ve got a group of good, young players who deserve an opportunity and can catch the eye, but the experienced boys deserve a lot of credit. At the back, since I came in, Joe Lewis, David Bates and Declan Gallagher have been brilliant, and they should get some plaudits too.
“That experience is important and it was great to have Marley Watkins back on the pitch, nice to have Andy Considine back on the bench as well. They’re two key members of the squad, very influential people. Just having them in the dressing room before kick-off was a lift for everyone. It was always my intention to get Marley on, we weren’t sure how many minutes we could get out of him, but where we are, we don’t have time to be bedding anyone in, the boys just have to get on with it.
“It takes character to play here and that will be a big part of the recruitment side of things in the summer. You need good players but they also need the mentality to handle the pressure, and those experienced players bring that to the side. But all the players showed that mentality today, their reaction to going behind was brilliant.
“I have to compliment the fans too because their reaction was excellent as well. It would have been easy for them to get frustrated because we were on top in the game and when you don’t go in front and then concede a sucker punch, it can take the wind out of your sails. But the players and the fans rallied together and we finished the game very positively.
“Lewis Ferguson deserves special mention because it takes courage to step up and take a penalty having just missed one at Hearts. He showed a lot of guts, which is what you need when you play at a club this size, you need big characters and we put that across all the time. We’ve got a very expectant crowd here and you have to handle that. Lewis enjoys the big occasion, doesn’t shy away from it.
“People will talk about Hibs going down to ten men but I thought when it was 11 v 11 we were by far the better team, I thought we completely dominated the ball for long periods, Joe Lewis had nothing to do but pick the ball out of the net from poor Calvin Ramsay.
“The lads did everything that was asked of them. Out of possession, defended from the front, pressed aggressively, we were brave on the ball which was pleasing. There’s still lots of room for improvement, it’s only one win, we’re still in a terrible position in the league, but it’s a step forward.
“From here, we have to look at winning at Dundee and then beating Ross County here. I don’t want to think about anything else. All we can have an impact on is our next game, not what’s gone before, not other results, so we go to Dens Park and we go there needing to win. We want to finish on 41 points before the split, that’s all that we can do, and if that isn’t enough, then so be it. But we have to give ourselves the best chance by winning the next two games.”
