Jim Goodwin in Aberdeen touchline return for Hearts clash after Dons lodge appeal

Jim Goodwin will return to the Aberdeen dugout for the visit of Hearts this weekend after the Pittodrie club launched an appeal against his eight-match touchline ban.

The Dons boss was awarded the lengthy ban for comments made after their Scottish Premiership defeat to Hibernian on September 17 where he branded defender Ryan Porteous a "cheat". Goodwin was subsequently banned for six games immediately, with a further two games suspended until the end of the season. That meant his assistant Lee Sharp was tasked with filling his shoes pitch side for the 4-0 loss to Dundee United on Saturday.

And with a hearing date now set for October 31, the 40-year-old will be able to be back in the thick of things once again when Robbie Neilson's men come to the Granite City this Sunday with Aberdeen chiefs arguing the punishment handed out was excessive. Goodwin can appear in the dugout until the appeal process begins as he waits to find out if the length of the ban will be shortened.

When questioned on the ban ahead of the game with Hearts, Goodwin said he will have to bite his tongue in future and that he felt a sense of embarrassment with the way the situation has panned out.

“My pre-match and post-match interviews might become very boring in the future,” he said. “I find it very difficult not to speak my mind but maybe in the future I will need to bite my tongue.

“I take responsibility for my actions. I’m disappointed what I said has brought this negative press on myself and the club.

“I want to be seen as a respectable young manager but sometimes there’s a lot of emotion involved in this game and someone sticks a microphone in your face 10 minutes afterwards and you say things that, in the cold light of day, you wish you