How 'winnable' August can shape new-look Aberdeen as Jim Goodwin vows front-foot football

A focus of Jim Goodwin’s throughout pre-season was making Aberdeen a productive and effective attacking force – and he is planning on seeing that unleashed throughout August.

The Dons start the month with a home match against St Mirren on Saturday before facing Motherwell, St Johnstone and Livingston, rounding it off with a trip to Annan Athletic in the Premier Sports Cup.

Goodwin has described these games “all very winnable” and the plan is to approach them on the front foot, to dominate possession and take the game to the opposition.

Having breezed through the League Cup group stage, the aim is to see those attacking combinations come to the fore on league duty.

“That was one of the key elements that we worked on tirelessly throughout pre-season was the attacking rotations and building those relationships in the wide areas with the full-backs and the wingers,” Goodwin said.

“The majority of the boys have been together now for a good period of time so we should be able to click back into that forward-thinking game plan.

“We’ll have plenty of the ball, we’ve got to be brave on it and we’ve got to be on the front foot. We need forward passes and we need forward runs.”

Goodwin is well aware of the challenges Aberdeen will face in games at Pittodrie where teams will try to frustrate.

Aberdeen Jim Goodwin views all August games as "winnable". (Photo by Euan Cherry / SNS Group)

"The first 15-20 minutes are important," he said. “My message to my players is that if we don't get that opening goal in the first 15-20 minutes we have to be patient, not force things and play into St Mirren's hands.

"We have to move the ball quickly. With that said, we have to be concentrating at the back, organised when we are in possession because that's when we will be at our most vulnerable against St Mirren who are very well organised defensively and very good on the counter-attack.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to stress to the players in the build-up to this game. Our fans will want us to come flying out the traps which we will and they’ll want us to show that we’ve not been affected by the result last weekend and we’re capable of carrying on the good form from the League Cup.”