Lewis cleans up for happy gaffer
Penalty hands Goodwin much-needed home win
Jim Goodwin grabbed only his second win in nine games as Aberdeen boss to ease the Reds’ relegation fears.
A second-half Lewis Ferguson penalty gave the Dons three precious points as they earned their f irst Premiership clean sheet of 2022.
Goodwin endured a tense 90 minutes as his team faced a defiant Dundee side desperate to give gaffer Mark McGhee his first win since taking over 10 league games ago.
Goodwin said: “There was pressure and anxiety and that was understandable from both teams.
“It would have been nice to stand on the touchline and relax instead of it always being a bit nervy.
“It was relief at the end and I think that’s how we all feel. The players aren’t high-fiving in there, we are in a poor place in the league for this club.
“It was about getting the victory and that’s what we have done. I’m really pleased we handled it, especially in the second half.
“Dundee kept going but I’m delighted to keep a clean sheet as we haven’t had many of them. Joe Lewis made some good saves as well.
“The fans stuck with us when they could have turned and thought it was another one of those days.”
Dundee were dealt a pre-match blow
ABERDEEN....................................... DUNDEE...........................................
when first- pick keeper Ian Lawlor reported ill in the team hotel and didn’t take in the game. It brought promotion for 21-year-old Harrison Sharp.
It was Dons shot-stopper Lewis who felt the heat within the f irst 20 minutes, first making a double stop from close range and then a superb diving save from Danny Mullen.
Moments later, Paul McMullen’s clever flick from Niall McGinn’s cross once more called the keeper into serious action.
Connor Barron’s 30-yard sizzler just before the half-hour offered Sharp his first real test in the Dens goal.
Dundee stretched Aberdeen but Goodwin’s half-time pep talk 1 0 gave the home fans what they wanted – a more direct and aggressive approach from their team.
There were claims for a penalty for the Dons within a couple of minutes of the restart following a challenge by Dundee’s Cammy Kerr on Jack MacKenzie but ref Willie Collum was having none of it.
At the other end, Calvin Ramsay came to the rescue by clearing a Ryan Sweeney header off the line with Lewis beaten. Aberdeen tried to move up the gears and when Jonny Hayes was taken down in the box by Jordan Marshal l in the 73rd minute, Ferguson fired home from the spot to seal the vital three points.