JIM GOODWIN can see his grand plan coming together at Aberdeen after watching the club’s summer signings settle quickly into life at Pittodrie.
Eleven new players have been recruited as the former Alloa and St Mirren manager has stamped his authority on the playing squad and with seven wins in nine outings in all competitions so far this season – including, most recently, a 5-0 thrashing of Livingston on Saturday – it’s fair to say that they have wasted little time in getting to know each other and gel as a team.
Goodwin has made wholesale changes to the squad over the summer and the comprehensive win over David Martindale’s side at the weekend provides another compelling piece of evidence that the Dons are back on track following a disappointing campaign last time around.
Aberdeen face a lengthy trip to Annan this evening in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup and Goodwin is keen for his side to maintain their momentum with another victory – and feels that the players are becoming more in-tune with every passing game.
“Definitely,” he said. “It takes time when you are trying to bed in 11 new players coming from different parts of the world and used to being asked to do things differently from the way I am asking them to do.
“It is a lot of information to get through but it only comes from repetition on the training pitch. We do work hard and spend a lot of time in terms of the shape and movement of the team.
“The players are getting an understanding now of one another. [Bojan] Miovski from day one has made some fantastic runs and the players now are learning to understand what those movements look like. One of the goals from the weekend came from that and he was unlucky with one other but it takes time for those relationships to develop.
“[Central defenders] Liam Scales and Anthony Stewart are looking brilliant together. They are working as I hope they would. The two of them complement one another really well and actually in the games they have played together as a pairing they haven’t conceded a goal yet.
“Liam couldn’t play against Celtic and had to play left-back against Motherwell so the games they have played together as a pairing we haven’t conceded a goal so long may that continue.”
Goodwin elaborated on the budding partnership between Scales and Stewart, and why he believes the duo can form a formidable pairing at the back for his team.
“When I came in during February there wasn’t a great balance within the backline at all,” Goodwin recalled. “There were people playing out of position.
“I like my left-back to be a natural left-back, I like my left centre-back to be a natural left-footed centre-half. I think it just makes life a lot easier for everybody.
“Scales is one I tried to get in the past. Stewart is one that I tried to get in my first year at St Mirren but he ended up getting promoted into the Championship with Wycombe. That made it impossible.
“I knew exactly what both those players would do together. Anthony is the general., the leader, the warrior. He is the one that will kick anybody that moves in front of him. He will stick his head on anything, he organises and is a talker.
“Scales is a modern-day centre back who is very comfortable on the ball and has good mobility. He still needs to work physically I think in terms of getting fitter, stronger and quicker. But aerially he competes well.
“I think they complement each other well. They cover for each other well and that is a relationship that is going to go from strength to strength.
“Hopefully we can keep the two of them available and on the park. If we can do that then it will be as good a centre half paring out there, in my opinion.”
One of the players Goodwin alludes to, Ross McCrorie, spent large chunks of last season playing in central defence but has been playing in a more advanced role in the middle of the park this term.
The 24-year-old scored his side’s second in the thumping win over Livingston on Saturday – his fourth goal of the season in all competitions – and the former Rangers man is determined to add to that tally.
“In my first season I was playing centre mid but I was the deeper one, then last season I was playing centre-back,” he explained. “The gaffer came in and pushed me into midfield.
“He has asked for me to get more goals and I don’t think it’s a coincidence because in training I have been working hard on that. I have been doing extra bits and me and the gaffer have been working on timing my runs into the box.
“I think it’s paying dividends now. You can see it in my game that I am starting to add goals and hopefully I can keep it up.”
