Jim Goodwin sets Aberdeen points target, speaks on 'responsibility' & admits possible 'gamble'

Jim Goodwin won’t pass the buck if the Aberdeen fail to reach the top six as he targets nine points from the three remaining pre-split fixtures.

The Dons currently sit tenth in the Premiership, four points off the top six.

Aberdeen host Hibs at Pittodrie on Saturday knowing three points will take them to within two of their opponents who currently occupy fourth spot.

It is followed by an away game at Dundee and Ross County at Pittodrie.

"They are all cup finals and we need to win all of them," Goodwin said.

“I think it is going to take three wins to get us to where we want to be. It might not be enough but we have to believe it will be. Some people are suggesting two wins and a draw might be enough but I think we have to go all out and try to get three wins and see where it takes us.”

Goodwin has been in charge for just shy of four weeks and overseen four games which have brought two points, draws with Motherwell and Dundee United.

He has been encouraged by what he has seen in “decent performances" aside from a “really bad one” in defeat at Hearts.

With two weeks of solid work on the training ground, Goodwin is reluctant at looking back to the previous management team to explain away any disappointments.

“Coming in at the time I knew it was difficult but now, four weeks in, we’ve had plenty of time to get our ideas across to the players and give them a good understanding of what we are asking them to do,” he said.

“We could have won at Motherwell. We had the ball in the net and it was chalked off wrongly. We had so many good opportunities against Dundee United at home, and we put in a decent performance for 65 minutes at Ibrox, restricting Rangers to two shots on target. I don’t think many teams will have done that this