THE narrow 2-1 defeat that Aberdeen suffered against Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena on Tuesday night was a painful one for the Pittodrie club and no mistake.
The loss allowed their opponents to draw level with them on points in the cinch Premiership table and continued their abject record on the road under Jim Goodwin; he has now recorded just three victories in 26 away league matches since succeeding Stephen Glass back in February.
Yet, their second-half performance in West Lothian was still reason for Dons supporters to be optimistic that better times lie ahead for them when top flight domestic football resumes in December following the World Cup break.
Goodwin switched from a back three to a back four at half-time in midweek. He took off centre half Ross McCrorie and put on winger Matty Kennedy. His team was transformed as a result. The visitors pulled a goal back through Luis Lopes, applied relentless pressure and were desperately unlucky not to level before the final whistle.
Their rousing, if ultimately fruitless, fightback will have given the man in charge much to ponder on the long road back up to the Granite City.
The Irishman is likely to revert back to the 3-1-4-2 formation that he has favoured in the 2022/23 campaign when his charges attempt to avenge the 4-0 drubbing they were on the receiving end of at Tannadice last month when they face Dundee United again at home this evening.
It has worked well for them at Pittodrie. His men have won eight and lost just one of the nine matches they have played on their own turf this term. They are only behind Celtic and Rangers in the Premiership table and are through to the League Cup semi-final as a result.
But going forward he would be well advised to adopt a slightly more cautious gameplan when Aberdeen are on their travels.
It is harsh to be overly critical of Goodwin. He is only in his first full season in the north-east, but he has overseen a dramatic upturn in fortunes. He has integrated his summer signings – and no fewer than 11 players were brought in - into his new-look team successfully. Leighton Clarkson, Duk, Bojan Miovski, Ylber Ramadani and Jayden Richardson, offensively at least, have flourished.
Connor Barron, meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength. The 20-year-old midfielder is under contract until the summer of 2024 and talks over a new deal are ongoing. But it would be no great surprise if he follows Calvin Ramsay out the exit door and joins a bigger club in a better league in the near future for a multi-million pound fee.
Aberdeen in general are playing with far greater confidence and intensity and are certainly showing much more attacking intent. Fans are loving what they are witnessing, in their “ain midden” anyway, and crowds are steadily rising.
It is a vast improvement on last season when they finished 10th, their lowest position in 18 years, despite having the third largest budget in the division.
The next year is a big one for Aberdeen – 2023 will be the 40th anniversary of their European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph over Real Madrid in Gothenburg and they will mark the occasion fittingly with a series of celebrations and events.
Could the current team honour their revered predecessors by supplanting Hearts as the best of the rest in the Premiership, qualifying for Europe and challenging for the League Cup and Scottish Cup? Livingston, Hearts, St Johnstone, Hibernian and St Mirren are all snapping hard at their heels. But if they continue the progress they have made to date there is every chance.
Sir Alex Ferguson – a manager who was always just as concerned with winning well as he was with winning - would be proud of the entertaining fare which Goodwin’s charges have served up at times at Pittodrie.
Defensively, though, Aberdeen have to do much better to progress and realise their ambitions. They have conceded 17 times away from home in the league. Only St Mirren have picked the ball out of their own net on as many occasions.
The meeting with Rangers at Ibrox last month highlighted the folly of taking such a gung-ho approach. They began the encounter impressively and took the lead through Barron. After that? Their rivals encountered little resistance as they flooded forward and ultimately strolled to a comfortable 4-1 triumph.
Bringing in a quality centre back during the January transfer window could help them enjoy a strong finish to the second half of the season. But maybe sticking with a back four could be the way ahead. Richardson offers the rearguard little protection down his flank and they are far too exposed.
Most Aberdeen fans recognise that Jim Goodwin is still a young manager and that his side is a work in progress and are prepared to give him the time and backing that he needs. But he must address the away day blues if he is to keep them onside and re-establish the Pittodrie club as the third force in the Scottish game.
