Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin has challenged striker Bojan Miovski to finish the season as the Premiership’s top scorer.
A £535,000 signing from MTK Budapest this summer Miovski sits second in the Premiership scoring charts with five goals.
Only Celtic’s Japanese international Kyogo Furuhashi has scored more in the Premiership, with six goals.
Rangers’ Croatian international striker Antonio-Mirko Colak has netted four times in the top flight this season.
Goodwin wants Miovski to end the campaign with more goals than big money signings such as Furuhashi (£4.6m) and Colak (£1.8m).
Miovski could have been level with Furuhashi but gave up the opportunity to score a hat-trick in the 5-0 defeat of Livingston.
The 23-year-old, who netted a brace, is the Dons’ penalty taker.
However Miovski gave the ball to Vicente Besuijen to let the Dutch winger take the Reds’ second penalty of the game.
Goodwin has urged Miovski to be more ruthless in his bid to be Scotland’s No.1 striker.
The Reds boss also confirmed he aims to sign ‘at least one’ player before the transfer window shuts at midnight on Thursday.
Goodwin said: “I want Bojan to be the top goal scorer in the Premiership this year.
“I also want him to be leading the line for North Macedonia in their next games (Georgia and Bulgaria in Nations League)
“To do that he needs to be scoring goals and he needs to the ruthless.
“I like my centre-forwards to be ruthless and fighting and scrapping for that ball when we have a penalty.
“And not willing to hand it over to anybody.
“He would have had a hat-trick if he had taken that penalty at the weekend.
“We have discussed it. We had a laugh and a joke about it.
“If Vinnie had missed the penalty then it becomes a different conversation.
“But if Bojan is on the pitch going forward then he will take the penalty.”
🇲🇰 9⃣
Bojan with our fourth yesterday at Pittodrie. #StandFree | @bojanmiovskii pic.twitter.com/t6ZRW5ay9M
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) August 28, 2022
‘At least’ one signing still to come
Miovski’s tally is six goals in six games for the season in all competitions.
He netted within minutes of his debut in the 3-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat of Raith Rovers.
Aberdeen face League Two minnows Annan Athletic away in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup on Tuesday night.
Earlier this month the SPFL extended the summer transfer deadline window by 24 hours to midnight on Thursday.
That was because clubs, including Aberdeen, are involved in cup action on the day the window was originally set to close.
Goodwin has already signed 11 players this summer and confirmed he expects at least one more addition before the closure of the window.
He also expects some players to exit Pittodrie.
Goodwin said: “I doubt there will be anything happening before the (Annan) game.
“!We’ve got a couple of days or so until the window shuts so Id expect there to be a little bit of activity on both sides.
“One or two probably going out and hopefully one at least coming in.”
Reward fans for 10 hour round trip
Aberdeen will stay in a hotel on Monday night close to Annan ahead of the cup clash.
The Reds left the Granite City at 6pm on Monday evening for the tie following a training session at Cormack Park.
A 1.000 strong travelling Red Army will make the 440 mile round trip as the Dons’ allocation was sold out.
Goodwin says the Reds are buoyant after a 5-0 demolition of 10 man Livingston at the weekend.
Goodwin said: “In this competition we’ve scored plenty of goals, kept four clean sheets and we want to continue against Annan.
“We want to be ruthless in front of goal.
“There will be a good travelling support.
“It’s a hell of a long way from Aberdeen to Annan.
“We won’t be resting on our laurels or taking our foot off the gas.
“We want to make that trip for the punters worthwhile and give them plenty of goals to cheer about.
“There is a feel good feeling and confidence that we want to maintain.
“We want to carry on the momentum.
“The place is always bubbly when you win games, especially as convincing as we did at the weekend.”
‘We will not underestimate Annan’
Annan Athletic qualified for the knock-out phase by topping a group that also included Premiership St Johnstone.
However the part-timers have won just once in their last five games.
This season they have lost to both Stirling Albion (2-1) and Dumbarton (4-0), teams the Dons comfortably defeated in the group stages.
Goodwin insists none of his players will underestimate the threat of Annan.
He said: “We will be huge favourites for the game.
“We need to be professional and take care of our business.
“We’ve got a really humble group of players, no big egos and no-one will underestimate or disrespect Annan.
“Everyone will give Annan the utmost respect and prepare as professionally as we always do.
“The players know exactly what’s going to be required.”
Hampden cup date the initial target
Aberdeen have not won silverware since the League Cup in 2014 under former manager Derek McInnes.
The Dons are just two wins away from a semi-final slot at Hampden.
Securing a match at the national stadium is Goodwin’s initial aim – then anything is possible in the latter stages.
He said: “We go into every cup competition believing we can get to Hampden.
“However there will be another half a dozen teams out there with a similar approach.
“I always believe in the cups that on your day you are capable of beating anyone.
“In the cup regardless of who you get drawn against, if you play to the level you are capable of then you have a chance of winning the game.
“We have to believe that we are capable of getting to Hampden.
“Once you get to Hampden and to a semi-final you are so close that you can smell it.
“That is where we want to get to and give the boys that experience.”
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