Jim Goodwin was pleased with his team’s ability to bounce back from defeat when he spoke to the press after the 2-0 win over Hearts.

“I felt it was the perfect reaction to an embarrassing result for us at Dundee United last weekend. We did it after losing at Hibs by bouncing back against Kilmarnock and I’m delighted we did the same today.

“It shows the character in the group. It isn’t always easy to play after such a poor performance, but they rose to the occasion and gave something back to the fans, especially the huge number who went down the road last week. We owed them one and hopefully we sent them away happy tonight.”

The Dons set up with three at the back this afternoon, and Goodwin explained the thinking behind the switch.

“You’re open to criticism as a manager if you make wholesale changes, but we’ve guilty of conceding too many goals. Our goals for column looks good, that’s 20 now, the third highest in the league, but the goals against column is poor by the standards we expect. We talked about it in the week, that’s why we opted for a back three today, though I have to say I still felt we had the attacking mindset about us. That’s what we want to be recognised as, especially at Pittodrie, but today we also looked secure, we looked comfortable out of possession which we maybe haven’t been prior to today on occasions. The thing that pleases me most is how the team collectively reacted to last week to make sure we had a clean sheet.

“The first half was a bit like a basketball game at times, I felt we controlled it better after the break. There was a bit more composure and belief about us, against a very good team in Hearts. I thought we managed the game brilliantly, scored two very good goals and deserved the three points.

“Consistency is so important in this league. There are a lot of teams going to be in the running for the European places, no doubt about that. Most of the division will still feel if they put a run of games together, they can stay up there and fight for that. Aberdeen being in the club it is, we are expected to be up there, but you have to earn it. I always believe we’ll create opportunities and score goals. We have to defend better than we have been doing in some games, and we did that today.

“Every game we go into, we want to be a good, possession based team, entertaining, attractive to watch. We have a young squad, there’ll be inconsistencies both individually and collectively, so we do have to be patient at times. I’ve said it before, but you can’t get carried away with highs and lows, you have to stay on an even keel.

“It wasn’t a straightforward game because Hearts set the bar last season. They were the third best team by a mile because of their consistency, winning games when not at their best. Ironically, so far they’ve been hindered by the volume of games they’ve had in Europe, but I’m sure that Robbie Neilson and the Hearts directors will be much happier being involved in that competition than not, for the finances it brings in and for the chance it gives you to test yourselves at the highest level. The downside is that playing Thursday – Sunday can be tiring, especially if you’re away from home, you pick up more injuries and that makes the league games harder.”

Scored one, made one was Duk’s afternoon and he came in for special mention from the manager.

“I was delighted for Duk on a personal level because he arrived late in pre-season and he’s been playing catch up ever since. With the level he’s now reached, he can start games for us. We didn’t bring him here as an impact sub, excellent though he has been at that. We won’t get carried away, but we believe he has great potential. He has a lot to learn but it’s up to us to nurture and develop him and to help him and hopefully, the Aberdeen fans will see the best of him.

“But the credit goes to the team, from back to front. It’s a great win and a nice confidence boost ahead of Wednesday but we certainly won’t be underestimating Ian McCall’s team. Partick are flying in their league, we’ll analyse them and have the boys prepared as best we can for Wednesday night. The message is simple, prepare properly, give Partick the respect they deserve and look to bring the highest level of performance to the game.”