Jim Goodwin survives Aberdeen sack as Dave Cormack demands 'immediate response' to Darvel defeat

Jim Goodwin will remain as Aberdeen manager but has been warned results must improve immediately in the wake of the Scottish Cup defeat to Darvel.

The Irishman was widely expected to be sacked after the 1-0 loss to the team from sixth tier of Scottish football on the back of last week’s 5-0 reverse at Hearts and amid a run of just one victory in nine matches since the return from the World Cup.

Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack met with the board of directors on Wednesday to consider the future of Goodwin, and the US-based businessman confirmed that the manager has been given a stay of execution and will remain in post for Saturday’s trip to Easter Road to face Hibernian.

However, the 41-year-old has been left in no doubt that further poor results will not be tolerated.

Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin remains in charge for the weekend trip to Hibernian. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

“We all recognise that Monday’s disastrous result in the Scottish Cup was totally unacceptable. It added insult to injury after such a poor result against Hearts, following what was a strong performance in the semi-final against Rangers at Hampden,” Cormack said in a statement on the Aberdeen website.

“The football monitoring board, comprising Stewart Milne, Willie Garner, Steven Gunn and me, have now had a full and frank meeting with Jim. It wasn’t an easy conversation, but necessary after the overall poor results since the World Cup break.

“From our wider discussions over the last two days, we believe that the senior players and the squad are behind the manager. Combined with our discussions at today’s meeting, Jim will be in the dug-out on Saturday. However, to be clear, Jim has been left in no doubt that the Board and the fans are seeking an immediate response from him and the players.”

Club legend Brian Irvine believes Aberdeen must now put all their focus into chasing down third-placed Hearts.

“Nine points is a big gap but that’s something they’ve got to aim for,” he said. “As an Aberdeen fan, it feels like the season’s over but there is something still to play for. It’s about how the players handle this situatio. Hearts kicked on and did well after they lost to Brora [in 2021] and that’s what’s got to happen at Aberdeen. Are you going to make a positive out of it or is it going to be further negative?”