Aberdeen produced the perfect response to their heavy loss to Rangers by sweeping Hibernian aside to move clear in third place in the Scottish Premiership.
With Jim Goodwin sitting in the stands and questions being asked of his team following a really poor showing at Ibrox, the players responded with a devastating display of finishing to beat Hibs 4-1.
VAR’s Pittodrie debut took top billing in handing Aberdeen the initiative, too.
Despite watching several replays I remain unconvinced it was a penalty for the opener following Hibs goalkeeper David Marshall’s challenge on Luis “Duk” Lopes.
I don’t agree with the decision to order a re-take after Marshall saved Bojan Miovski’s penalty either. If we are going to punish goalkeepers for coming off their line as Marshall did, then we’re going to see an awful lot of spot-kicks being retaken in the upcoming matches.
To be fair to Hibs, they played quite well at Pittodrie, but football boils down to what you do with the ball in the final third – and when it comes to scoring goals the Dons are proving to be a cut above the rest in the league.
Aberdeen have scored 21 goals at home in six matches, a tally which is matched only by Rangers, who have played a home game more than the Dons.
There is room for improvement on the road of course, but season ticket holders at Pittodrie can have few complaints about the entertainment they are getting so far.
Miovski can be the difference maker or the Dons
Miovski’s double against Hibs takes him to 10 league goals and the North Macedonian international is certainly off to an impressive start with his new club.
His penalties are very good, but he looks dangerous at set-pieces and in open play, too.
Miovski is a very intelligent player and a classy finisher. Clearly. If you get him the service he is going to score and, with nine of his league goals coming at home, the Dons seem to have found a way to do that consistently.
Having beaten Hibs to move into third, the Dons now face a big week as they look to go into the World Cup break still holding that position.
Next up is tonight’s match at Livingston. Aberdeen’s record there is decent, but Livi did brilliantly to come from behind twice before winning 3-2 at Kilmarnock on Friday.
If Aberdeen can pick up another three points tonight, it will be a real shot in the arm for them ahead of the New Firm derby against Dundee United on Saturday.
I’m going along to watch that one and I expect the Dons will be fired up to gain a measure of revenge following their Tannadice torment last month when United walloped them 4-0 to pick up their first win of the season.
But with 16,000 at Pittodrie on Friday to watch them beat Hibs, I would hope we’ll see an even bigger turnout for this one.
Given the number of goals flying in at Pittodrie, the players deserve a big crowd for their final game before the break.
Improved service is reaping rewards for Ross County
Ross County delivered a much-needed win in their time of need as they produced their own comeback to beat St Mirren at Victoria Park.
Having taken the lead through Jordan White, the Staggies contrived to concede twice before half-time and I’m sure many were fearing the worst.
But a rousing second-half display saw County score two goals to win the game 3-2 and move off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.
They failed to get anything out of their previous home game against Hearts, but what was encouraging in that loss was how strongly Malky Mackay’s side finished the game.
It was clear on Saturday that same tenacity and drive was evident as another strong finish from County gave them a vital win.
I was pleased to see White on the scoresheet again, too. If you can get him the service, he will score goals – but we haven’t seen enough quality in the final third for him to really make a consistent impact.
The Staggies carried much more of a threat in the wide areas on Saturday than they have done and it was great to see them get their reward with three goals.
It was an important win ahead of two taxing away trips this week. Their trip to Easter Road to face Hibs tonight will be a tough one, and it gets even harder as they are in Glasgow on Saturday to face Celtic.
Home games will define County’s season, but anything they can get from their two away trips this week would give everyone at the club a huge boost.
New faces vital for Caley Thistle
The well is starting to run dry for Caley Thistle as the injuries bite hard for Billy Dodds.
I was at Caledonian Stadium on Saturday to watch Inverness share the spoils with Arbroath in a 1-1 draw.
But the biggest concern was that Arbroath finished the game the stronger of the two sides and if there was going to be a winner, it was the visitors who looked more likely to get it.
It is clear Caley Jags are lacking bodies at the minute and it was evident in the second half when fresh impetus was needed just how limited Doddsy’s options from the bench were.
With five points separating the top seven sides, it is incredibly congested in the Championship and as we get nearer to January, the more convinced I am that recruitment will be decisive.
I know money is tight, but if Inverness can find some way of supporting their manager when the window opens it could prove the difference between the title and a play-off spot.
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