Delighted Jim Goodwin praised his very own Duk of Hazard - as he got Aberdeen’s season back on track against St Johnstone.
The Cape Verde international netted two second half goals to fire the Dons to their first win of 2023 and ended their five match run without a victory. It was a timely win for Aberdeen who moved to within three points of Hearts and gave them a shot in the arm ahead of next weekend’s Viaplay Cup semi-final against Rangers.
Goodwin said: “I was really pleased for Duk to get back on the scoresheet. He’s a really good young player who hadn’t played a lot of senior football before coming to us. He has huge potential and has developed quicker than anticipated. But we’re not getting carried away and putting pressure on his shoulders. When you have a striker like Bojan Miovksi going through a barren spell, it’s good to have someone take on the mantle and be the match winner. I thought he was excellent."
Goodwin was adamant that there had been no panic inside Pittodrie despite the poor run.
He stated: “There has been a lot of noise outside the club but we have not let it affect us. We have not picked up enough points since the World Cup. I could go through things which have gone against us. We were terrible against Killie and put our hands up. But we can’t can’t look back.
“From my point of view and the point of view from the players, there was no sign of panic or negativity. Block out what’s being said, believe in what we’re doing and the strategy.”
‘Shinniemania’ had well and truly hit the Granite City. The midfielder’s second coming had seen the gate boosted by more than 1,000 additional sales. It was no surprise to see him go straight into the starting XI as he replaced Christian Ramirez to make his 500th senior appearance.
There was also a Pittodrie homecoming for visiting Andrew Considine. He made his first appearance at Pittodrie since he was released in the summer. He was one of three changes that Callum Davidson made to his side. The arrival of Shinnie had lifted the home side and then were denied an early breakthrough when Remi Matthews made two fine stops to deny Bojan Miovski and Duk.
The Dons dominated possession although Saints did cause them a scare when Drey Wright whipped a ball into the near post, where Stevie May got in front of his marker but headed wide.
Aberdeen thought they had gone ahead in the 22nd minute when Clarkson’s through ball sent Duk clear and he shrugged off his marker to fire in, but that joy was short-lived after a VAR check had judged he had strayed offside.
Saints skipper Liam Gordon was left thanking his lucky stars and his goalkeeper after two big mistakes. He didn’t get enough on a backwards header and Miovski nipped in and tried to lob it into the net but Matthews managed to get a hand and to gather. Next up he misjudged a through ball and let Miovski clear again and once again he was thwarted by Matthews.
Ross McCrorie was impressive for Aberdeen striding out from the back. He forced Matthews into a save and set-up, Duk, who blasted wildly over.
Saints were growing into the game with May heading wide again before Aberdeen finally got their goal. It was a long punt up the park and sub Vincente Besuijen managed to force it on to Duk, who knocked it past Matthews in the 73rd minute. Duk then sealed the points as he beat Liam Scales to an in-swinging Jonny Hayes corner to head into the net in the 84th minute.
Goodwin was able to take the likes of Duk and Shinnie off to give them ovations. The Aberdeen manager and players were able to take the applause of the fans at the end. What a difference a few days make.
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