David Goodwillie extends Aberdeen deal to 2016

David Goodwillie, left, has extended his contract at Aberdeen. Picture: SNS

The former Scotland striker has netted five goals in 25 games since joining the Pittodrie side in the summer following his release by Blackburn Rovers.

Welcoming the new deal, Dons manager Derek McInnes said: “We knew David would take time to get his game up to speed due to the timing of his arrival at the club but, now he has established himself, his value to the team, both on and off the park, is immense and I’m delighted he has decided his future remains with us.”

Goodwillie, 25, who has three caps and one international goal, said: “I’ve really enjoyed my experience so far at Aberdeen and have particularly enjoyed working closely with the manager and Tony [Docherty]. There are a great bunch of players here, alongside brilliant staff, who are all working towards delivering success for the fantastic supporters. It’s a huge club, moving in the right direction and I wanted to remain part of that as I feel something special can happen.”

McInnes also revealed he might step up his transfer-window activity after losing defender Ash Taylor to injury. The centre-back had surgery yesterday to repair cartilage damage, which he suffered in the 3-3 draw against Dundee on Saturday.

It is unclear exactly how long Taylor will be out, but his injury comes with Russell Anderson already absent with a knee injury.

McInnes said: “With the injury to Ash, it may well bring us to a conclusion that we have to try to bring someone in, but we do have players in the building who can do the job. Things can happen quite quickly in football but we are not anticipating anyone in before Friday.”

Meanwhile, the top-of-the-table clash between Aberdeen and Celtic at Parkhead has been moved from Saturday 28  February to Sunday 1 March. The rearranged game will kick off at noon and will be shown live  on Sky Sports.