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Daily Record
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Scott Burns

Matty Kennedy in Aberdeen contract address as he predicts 'good times are ahead' at Pittodrie

Matty Kennedy is playing for a new contract because he genuinely believes there are good times ahead for Aberdeen.

The winger is out of contract in the summer and wants to extend his Pittodrie stay. He thinks the Dons are on the up under Jim Goodwin, despite the recent drop off in form since they returned from the winter break. Kennedy signed for Aberdeen from St Johnstone back in 2020 but his first few years were hit by injury but now he is fully fit and firing with the new-look Dons. Aberdeen have still to register their first win of the new year but

Kennedy is hoping they can register it when Saints travel to the Granite City on Saturday. The 28-year-old said: "I think there are good times ahead for the club. You have to remember where we were last season. We are now a proper Aberdeen team again and we need to make sure teams fear coming up here again.

"There have been no talks so far. I love the club and I love being here. I feel there is a bit of unfinished business because of last season.

"I have never really been injured before and I was hard being out of the team. It hurt me not being able to help the team last season when we were not doing well. I feel my performances recently have been good and I now feel fitter and back to my best."

The Red Army has been disgruntled with recent results. Aberdeen had lost four on the bounce before they halted that with the weekend draw with Ross County. That wasn’t enough for a lot of the Pittodrie faithful who weren’t shy in letting Goodwin know their thoughts as he was booed as he walked around clapping them after the game.

It is down to the fact that the recent run has seen them going from third place to trailing Hearts by five points. Kennedy has insisted that they need the fans on-side if this team is to achieve their goals of bringing back a successful Aberdeen team.

He claimed: "The fans have been absolutely brilliant this season. Yes, we are going through a spell where things are not going right but we do need them behind us. They are the most important part of the football club and we ask them to stay behind us. This is why I came to the club, to try to win trophies. We can still make this a successful season. To do that we need them there."

Kennedy has acknowledged results haven’t been there but he doesn’t think the performances have been too far away and the club will soon turn the corner.

The Northern Irish cap insisted: “Normally when you are on a run like this the players confidence can be affected. But I honestly don’t think it is. We are actually playing alright. We were three minutes away from getting points against Celtic and Rangers.

"We played well in spells against St Mirren, even with the 10 men and should have got something from the game. Kilmarnock, we hold our hands up, it was a bad performance and not good enough. But we could have had a lot more points, so I don’t think the confidence has been knocked that much.”

Kennedy reckons the season could turn again with three points against the Saints. "We go out to win and put on a good performance for them,” the Dons star, speaking to RedTV, claimed. “We do understand their frustrations recently, but it is important they know that we are hurting the same.

Jim Goodwin's Aberdeen will be looking for a first win since the World Cup against St Johnstone on Saturday (SNS Group)

"We are trying to win games of football and we are all hurting, all the players and staff. We want to put things right. It is a difficult time at the moment because we have not picked up many points. I thought the performance against Ross County was good. I thought it was positive.

"Hopefully if we continue to play like that then results will come our way. I really do believe that. I have said this before, the fans are the most important part of a football club, and their opinion does matter. Without the fans it is pointless us going out there every week.

"Positivity is what we need to turn things around. You have to keep trying to be positive when you get the ball. You have to keep trying to make things happen and not just pass it back. You have to keep thinking positively and don't become negative."

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