Winger Matty Kennedy is confident boss Jim Goodwin will get Aberdeen “on fire” again after a nightmare return from the winter break.
The Dons have lost all three games since the resumption of action after the five-week Premiership shut down.
Goodwin’s side slumped to a 3-1 loss at St Mirren following losses to Rangers and Celtic.
Aberdeen still hold third spot in the Premiership but are just two points ahead of eighth-placed Livingston who have a game in hand.
Kennedy, who netted the opener against St Mirren, is confident Goodwin will guide the Reds back to winning form.
And he accepts that must start away at Kilmarnock on Wednesday.
Kennedy said: “Every game is massive now.
“We spoke in the dressing room afterwards about going to Kilmarnock and we just need to stick together and stay positive.
“Eventually things will go our way again.
“We were absolutely flying before that five-week break and people tend to forget about how good we were then.
“We were on fire for the first part of the season and I’m sure we’ll get back to that.”
‘People should give credit to our manager’
The loss at St Mirren is the latest setback since the Reds returned from the winter break.
Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin received criticism for defensive tactics in the 1-0 loss to Premiership leaders Celtic.
The Reds were also 2-1 up against Rangers five minutes into injury time on Tuesday, only to suffer an inexplicable late collapse to lose 3-2.
A third straight loss will inevitably bring pressure on Goodwin and his players.
Despite the slump in form Kennedy insists the Dons boss has revitalised the fortunes of the club since his appointment in February.
And he reckons Goodwin should get credit, not flak.
He said: “I’ve been with 11 different clubs and I believe that people should give credit to our manager.
“Look where we were when he first came to Pittodrie.
“We were in a bad place but now other teams fear playing Aberdeen again and that’s all down to the manager.
“He’s been absolutely tremendous.
“No-one sees what he does around the training ground but he puts in so much work.
“He’s brought everyone together, the players and the staff.
“Opposing teams no longer look forward to coming to Pittodrie.
“We were three or four minutes away from great results against both Celtic and Rangers, who are the two best teams in the league.”
‘That mistake changed the game’
Aberdeen were ahead via Kennedy’s superb strike until the game turned with the dismissal of captain Anthony Stewart.
Centre-back Stewart was shown a straight red in the 35th minute for a challenge on Jonah Ayunga.
A penalty was also awarded by referee Nick Walsh following Stewart’s foul which was converted by Mark O’Hara.
Walsh awarded St Mirren three penalties, with O’Hara netting a second to make it 2-1.
Ayunga took the third but keeper Kelle Roos saved his effort.
The turning point was the dismissal of Stewart who was dispossessed by Ayunga before bringing him down.
Kennedy said: “I think it was clear to everyone in the stadium that we were the better team for the first 35 minutes until Anthony made his error.
“He’s been brilliant for us but that mistake changed the game.
“We got to grips with it again in the second half and created a lot of chances, particularly in the last half-hour.
“We hit the post in the first half and the bar in the second half so we were always in the game.
“Obviously, we’re pushing for the equaliser when Kelle (Roos) comes up for the corner and we end up losing the third goal, which was hard to take.
“It was one of those days when nothing seemed to go our way but we just need to focus on Kilmarnock on Wednesday now.”
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