Jim Goodwin plans to use the next two weeks to get his Aberdeen squad fine-tuned and ready for one frantic push for the top six.
The Dons may be disappointed not to be in Scottish Cup action but it gives their new boss a fortnight to get out on the training pitch and to work more closely with his squad.
Goodwin is already making his mark with captain Scott Brown leaving the club, while Jay Emmanuel Thomas’ long-term future also hangs in the balance.
Aberdeen sit disappointingly 10th but are just four points off the top six, with three games to play before the split.
His side return to action with two homes against Hibs and Ross County with an away trip to Dundee sandwiched in between. The manager has already said that he is looking for nine points from those games.
Goodwin claimed: “It will be very beneficial to get some real good times on the training pitch with the players as the midweek games are difficult.
“You are recovering and trying to prepare to go again without a lot of time.
“Now with the break we can work with them on the grass to get them a little bit sharper and fitter if possible.
“It also means I can get that tactical stuff through to them as well with no pressure of a game at the end of it. We can spend a lot of time together and that is the plan.”
Goodwin admitted it has been hard because he was thrown into the Motherwell game 24 hours before and since then it has been three games in eight days.
He has seen his team draw with Motherwell and Dundee United and lose away to Rangers and Hearts. As well as the games he has also had to cope and deal with a number of positive covid cases that limited his early selection choices.
“The first week was crazy,” Goodwin insisted. “However this week it seems to have settled down a little bit which is nice.
“It means I’m getting a little more time to myself in the afternoon and being able to focus on making sure we focus on getting things right on the pitch.
“We need to get this week out the way, we need to try to win the next couple of games.
“Then we are back to some kind of normality where we are working towards the weekend as opposed to the midweek fixtures that we have had to endure.”
Goodwin admitted it was vital he brought in his long-term No. 2 Lee Sharp with him but is also pleased with the Pittodrie staff he has inherited, like Barry Robson, Neil Simpson and his medical and sports science staff. It believes it has made his move easier and allowed him to concentrate on first-team matters and trying to salvage Aberdeen’s season by trying to clinch a top six place.
He confirmed: “Lee has been a big part of my backroom team since I first took the job at Alloa.
“We have built up a really good working relationship.
“He has a really good understanding of what I look for from a number two.
"Key words there are trust and loyalty. That is something that I know I have got with him.
“I have to say the staff I have inherited up here have been nothing short of brilliant.
“Even outwith the backroom staff and the playing side of things the actual staff around the place, around the training ground and Pittodrie.
“It made the transition very easy and straightforward.
“It allowed me just to focus on football while they took care of all the off field matters which has been brilliant.
“I am very, very lucky there is no getting away from that.
“We have settled in well.”
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