Goodwin continues to defy the doubters
TIME and again Jim Goodwin has been written off in his career. Yet, it was those very doubters who inspired him to some of his greatest victories.
The Irishman defied the odds by captaining St Mirren to a League Cup final victory over Hearts in 2013 and, last year, he proved his critics wrong once again in management as he led Alloa to promotion to the Championship.
Before a ball was kicked this season, many had picked out the part-timers to go straight back down but Goodwin’s side now sit in eighth place, seven points clear of Partick Thistle at the foot of the table, after a sixmatch unbeaten run.
Alloa’s recent form earned Goodwin the Championship Manager of the Month award for December and, this weekend, he’ll once again look to overcome the sceptics when he returns to Paisley to take on St Mirren in the Scottish Cup fourth round.
‘I’ve always loved that in my career,’ said Goodwin. ‘I’ve always loved people writing me off. People say the teams I have been at aren’t going to do anything and you just have to use that in the right way. We knew what everybody was saying at the start of the season from outside the club.
‘We read the papers and see the tables people put up online. I know Alloa were rooted to the foot of the table in every single one of them. We knew what people expected. ‘The most important thing for us going forward is that we don’t think we’ve achieved anything. We haven’t. We’ve put ourselves in a great position and to be sitting on the number of points that we are after 20 games is great.
‘But, it’s by no means done. We have to just take each game as it comes and be as committed as we have been. We’ve got the players to go and win games. We just have to make sure we don’t drop our standards.’
It’s been almost three years since Goodwin (below) last pulled on the black and white colours of St Mirren, but he’s going to have to put old romances behind him this weekend. Having already conquered one half of the Renfrewshire derby this week — after a second victory of the season against Morton on Saturday — Goodwin is now looking to do the same against the side he made over 170 appearances for as a player.
This weekend’s cup tie could be seen as the potential ‘giantkilling’ of the fourth round, with the Wasps buzzing off their recent form while St Mirren remain 11th in the Premiership.
‘I’m really looking forward to it,’ said Goodwin. ‘I’ve spoken to one or two people who are at the club that I’ve kept in touch with down the years. It will be a special occasion.
‘It will be strange going back there with a team trying to beat them. When you get there and get in the dressing room before the game then the business head comes on and it’s all about doing what’s best for Alloa.
‘I think if we go there with the right frame of mind and are positive then we’ve got a really good chance of winning.
‘Of course, we are huge underdogs and rightly so. St Mirren are a Premiership team. If we can go there with everybody fit and the confidence we have, then we can cause an upset.’ While it will be hard for Goodwin to top his League Cup success with St Mirren in 2013, he admits keeping Alloa in the Championship would rank highly amongst his career honours. ‘Obviously, you can’t beat winning trophies and things like that,’ he continued. ‘This process has been testing, but very enjoyable. For us, the only parttime team in the league, we are proving people wrong and have to continue in that spirit going forward. ‘We just need to stay focused on the job in hand and that’s survival.’