SPFL Awards: Aberdeen | Kenny Shiels | Dundee

It's been a bad week for Kenny Shiels. Picture: Robert Perry

IT has been a good few days for Aberdeen and they pick up two Awards in our first round-up of 2014. However Kenny Shiels must be wondering what he has let himself in for at Morton as they fell further behind the rest of the sides in the Championship.

Derek Adams gains recognition for revitalising Ross County, with other positive contributions coming from Motherwell, Dundee, Cowdenbeath, Stranraer, Dunfermline Athletic, Peterhead and Stirling Albion.

Good week for - Craig Comrie (Stirling Albion)

The 18 year old has gone from low to high in the space of a few days. Comrie was released at the end of last year by Falkirk after failing to break through to the first team. He was picked up by his local side, Stirling Albion, and given a deal until the end of the season and he thanked them in the best possible way.

Comrie was sent on as a substitute with 10 minutes to go against East Stirling with the Shire leading 1-0. The ball quickly landed at Comrie’s feet and he shot home an equaliser with his very first touch in senior football.

If that was not good enough, Stirling scored in injury time to win 2-1.

Bad week for - Morton

The Championship side are now 9 points adrift of second bottom Cowdenbeath and recently appointed manager Kenny Shiels saw Dumbarton move 15 points clear of his side with a 2-0 win over his side on Saturday.

Shiels is clearing out the squad he inherited from Allan Moore, but they will need to gel quickly if they are to move up the table. A run of three wins and three defeats with no goals scored emphasises the work the former Kilmarnock manager needs to do.

To make matters worse former Cappielow skipper Mark McLaughlin - who was let go by the Greenock side on Christmas Eve - made a winning debut at the weekend for Dumbarton.

Team of the week - Aberdeen

The Dons’ three wins in the space of 8 days are all the more impressive when you consider that game two was away to Dundee United and game three was away to Kilmarnock.

In both matches the Dons struck late to win and they are showing a determination that has been absent from Pittodrie for years.

Manager Derek McInnes has now secured two more wins than the Pittodrie men enjoyed in their entire programme last season and they have already amassed the same points total they managed in 2011-2012.

Manager of the week - Derek Adams (Ross County)

Adams was never going to settle for his side sitting in second-last place, hoping to survive via the play-offs. As soon as the transfer window was open it was cheerio to Orhan Mustafi and hello to Jordan Slew, Evangelos Oikonomou and Michael Tidser.

A 2-1 win at Inverness Caledonian Thistle was followed by a 1-0 win over St Johnstone and more points have been gathered in 2014 than in October, November and December.

Partick Thistle have since put County back into eleventh by winning at Hearts, so it should be fun at Firhill when the sides meet this weekend with more departures and arrivals expected.

Premiership Player of the week - Mark Reynolds (Aberdeen)

The Dons defeated Kilmarnock 1-0 yesterday to make it six wins in seven Premiership games for Derek McInnes’ team. Reynolds was the match-winner when he rose to head home a corner, but his defensive duties outshine his attacking abilities. Reynolds is more than worthy of a call-up by Gordon Strachan.

Premiership Goal of the week - James McFadden (Motherwell)

The former Scotland star showed that he still knows the way to goal as he grabbed his side’s final goal in their 4-0 success over St Johnstone at Fir Park.

As the Fir Park men advanced the ball was played into McFadden’s path 25 yards from goal, and he curled a low shot that looked like a goal from the moment it left his foot.

Championship Player of the week - Jim McAlister (Dundee)

McAllister kept going in his side’s game against Raith Rovers despite a blank scoreline, and the former Morton and Hamilton Accies wide-man proved to be the difference.

With the game goalless and 90 minutes up McAlister was first to react when Raith goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw failed to gather. Two minutes later he ran from the half way line to dart past Laidlaw and secure the three points.

Championship Goal of the week - Kane Hemmings (Cowdenbeath)

Hemmings is possibly not the hardest working of strikers, but he will get away with it if he comes up with the goals that keep Cowdenbeath in the Championship. With his side battling hard for a point from Alloa last Thursday, Hemmings turned one into three by firing an unstoppable shot past Scott Bain from 14 yards out.

League 1 Player of the week - Martin Grehan (Stranraer)

The surprise side in League 1 continue to impress as Stranraer saw off Ayr United 4-0, and languid striker Grehan grabbed two of the goals.

Grehan was downed in the box by Alan Lithgow and shot home a penalty to make it 2-0 before the break, and within a minute of the restart he had produced a fine flick from close range to make it three and easy for the Blues.

League 1 Goal of the week - Faissal El-Bakhtaoui (Dunfermline Athletic)

Dunfermline’s 21 year old French-Moroccan striker made a goalscoring debut for the Pars at Ochilview last Thursday. El-Bakhtaoui has made little impression at East End Park during his 18 month stay in Fife, but manager Jim Jefferies opted to give him a chance against the Warriors.

The move paid off within 15 minutes as El-Bakhtaoui showed the experience of a veteran to meet Ryan Wallace’s cut back perfectly. The youngster side-stepped a defender as he ran in before clipping a shot, first time, into the net to make his debut an unforgettable one.

League 2 Player of the week - Jamie Redman (Peterhead)

The Blue Toon faced a tough examination of their title-chasing credentials last Thursday when former Highland League rivals Elgin City visited Balmoor and shocked Jim McInally’s men by taking an early lead.

They were still leading with half an hour to play when dynamic midfielder Redman decided that enough was enough and took the game by the scruff of the neck.

Redman set up full-back Graeme Sharp to grab an equaliser, and deep into injury time the former Arbroath man still had the energy to dart up the park to receive a pass from Andy Rodgers and fire home the winner.

League 2 Goal of the week - Mark Ferry (Stirling Albion)

Ferry entered Stirling’s game with East Stirling with 18 minutes left and his side one goal down. Fellow replacement Craig Comrie made a dramatic entrance when he scored to level however Ferry saved the best to last.

The former St Johnstone, Queen’s Park and Raith Rovers player ran onto a Ross Forsyth pass and beat his marker before curing home a shot to win the game in injury time.