Aberdeen reaction: Player likely to take limelight this season, Miovski's not so bold claim, a bit of menace, player ratings

Aberdeen defeated Motherwell 2-1 at Fir Park to move up to third in the cinch Premiership and Alison McConnell picks out three talking points from the match, plus gives a rating out of ten for the players involved ...

Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin celebrates with Ylber Ramadani at full-time following the 2-1 win over Motherwell at Fir Park. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Menacing Dons

Over the course of the campaign it will be interesting to see if Aberdeen are indeed capable of establishing themselves as a genuine third force in Scottish football. The manner in which Hearts competed against Celtic at Tynecastle despite a staccato start to the season may well have emboldened the Gorgie side in terms of their status but under Jim Goodwin, Aberdeen have been bold and purposeful. Their undoing so far has been a lack of consistency and it remains to be seen whether the gritty win at Fir Park becomes one of the building blocks as they attempt to piece together a sustained run of results. But second in the scoring charts only to Celtic, they are a team who have menace and aggression and are capable of unsettling defences. With their own backline looking vulnerable at times, it may be that attack is their best form of defence.

The man likely to hog headlines

Connor Barron has barely been sighted this term after a knee injury in a pre-season game at Buckie Thistle put his season on hold before it had begun. Just out of his teens – the midfielder turned 20 in August – he has found himself in the enviable position of being wanted by multiple clubs. Dave Cormack, the Aberdeen chairman, confirmed interest in the academy prospect in the summer with a new contract on the table for him as the Pittodrie side look to maximise any profit. Barron is just back in the team after his gradual return to fitness but he was the catalyst for the Aberdeen opener with an intelligent pass that set up Bojan Miovski for the opener. Between now and the end of the season, he is likely to find that the headlines and speculation continue to follow.

Miovski’s not so bold claim

Bojan Miovski raised a few eyebrows when he claimed that finishing the season as top goalscorer in Scotland was within his reach. Yet, with nine goals now claimed from all competitions, the North Macedonian internationalist will feel that his self-confidence has been vindicated. Certainly, with Aberdeen continuing to play to their attacking strengths and with a new found back-three system that released both he and Duk on opposition defenders, he will be quietly confident that he can back up his words.

Player ratings

Motherwell: Kelly 6; McGinn 6 (O’Donnell 77), Solholm 6, Lamie 6, Penney 6; Slattery 5 (Cornelius 72), Goss 6; Spittal 6, Tierney 6 (Shields 46 5), McKinstry 7; Van Veen 6.

Aberdeen: Roos 5; McCrorie 6, Stewart 6, Scales 6; Ramadani 6; Richardson 7, Barron 6, Clarkson 7 (Besuijen 84), MacKenzie 7; Lopes 7 (Kennedy 77), Miovski 7 (Watkins 85)