- Tannadice side take on Premiership’s joint-leaders this evening
- United boss was sacked by Aberdeen in 2023 but has bounced back in style
- His team have lost just once in the Premiership in since returning to top flight
When Jim Goodwin strolls out in front of a sold-out Pittodrie this evening, he may just allow himself a brief moment to wonder what might have been.
It’s almost two years to the day since he was stood in the home dugout, fists clenched in celebration as summer signing Bojan Miovski slotted home a 37th-minute penalty to put the Dons in front against their Tayside opponents.
The North Macedonian’s strike turned out to be all the hosts needed to secure an eighth league victory of the season and move into third spot as the season hit the pause button to accommodate the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
After overseeing a solid if unspectacular start to life in charge in the Granite City, belief was growing that Goodwin might just be the man to restore some pride in the city following the disastrous spell under his predecessor Stephen Glass.
But the wheels came off in spectacular fashion when the season resumed one month later. Goodwin’s side lost four on the bounce in the Premiership to round off the year, before a catastrophic Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Darvel had the Pittodrie faithful baying for the manager’s blood.
A 6-0 loss at Easter Road the following week sealed his fate. He was last seen hurdling the advertising boards within 20 minutes of the final whistle, reputation and ego in tatters.
However, it didn’t take long for him to scratch that managerial itch once again, joining Dundee United just a couple of months later. While he wasn’t able to stave off relegation, he did exactly what was required in the Championship adventure which followed, bringing the club back up to the top tier at the first time of asking.
He now takes his side to his former club’s stomping ground this evening, looking to inflict a first defeat in Scottish football for his opposite number Jimmy Thelin.
The Swede has worked wonders since swapping Scandinavia for Scotland, with last weekend’s 2-2 draw at champions Celtic suggesting that they are planning on sticking around at the top of the table for a while yet.
Thelin of course deserves every bit of praise coming his way these days, but Goodwin is perhaps building something special of his own down the road.
And he has reason to be optimistic. A narrow defeat to Rangers remains their only loss of what has been an excellent start on their return to the top flight. Even then, they were a tad unfortunate not to earn a share of the spoils.
Solid at the back and dynamic going forward, Goodwin has built a team more than capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone on their day.
Last weekend’s dramatic win over Hibernian was their fourth league triumph of the season. As fans went wild in the stands in celebration of Meshak Ubochioma’s 99th-minute winner, Goodwin fell on his backside.
But he’d happily settle for making a fool of himself for the second time in seven days if his side can do the business tonight.
Things starting to click for Killie
It’s taken a while, but Kilmarnock appear to have finally found their feet.
Last Sunday’s thoroughly deserved victory over Rangers was just their second of the season, following up a bonkers comeback win over Dundee the previous week.
Delivering a performance which typified everything we’ve now come to expect from Derek McInnes’ side, Killie looked every bit the team which delivered a fourth-place finish last time out.
True, they were given a huge helping hand by their Glaswegian counterparts, but a win over either half of the Old Firm, regardless of circumstances, is something to savour.
They travel to Dingwall this afternoon to take on Ross County chasing a third league win on the bounce. Alex Dyer was the man in the dugout the last time that happened.
The Highlanders have clinched maximum points just once in their previous 12 league outings, but results haven’t necessarily reflected their performances.
Aside from a 6-0 skelping at Ibrox last month, they’ve been competitive in every contest this season. Summer arrival Ronan Hale has hit half of their eight top-flight strikes so far, proving to be a fine replacement for the departed Simon Murray.
But therein lies County’s biggest problem. If the former Cliftonville man isn’t finding the net, it’s hard to see where the goals are coming from.
With Hibernian and Hearts set to meet tomorrow, this would be a perfect chance for County to find their shooting boots and fire themselves clear of danger.
Upset not beyond progressive Pars
Falkirk v Dunfermline takes top billing in the Championship this afternoon, with a bumper crowd expected to watch the action unfold.
Despite seeing their long-standing unbeaten run come to an end at the hands of Raith Rovers last month, they’ve shown no signs of a hangover, collecting eight points from the four games since.
But Dunfermline — despite their lowly league position — will be quietly confident of upsetting the odds.
Remarkably, it’s been seven years since the Pars suffered defeat at the Falkirk Stadium, and given they sit a point above bottom spot going into this one, extending that run would represent a much-needed boost.
