Under pressure Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin will walk into the last chance saloon this weekend when his side take on Hibs after chairman Dave Cormack demanded an “immediate response” to the shock Scottish Cup defeat to Darvel.

The Pittodrie manager remains in a job despite the humiliation in Ayrshire, though Cormack made it clear the clock is ticking ahead of the Easter Road clash.

Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon is among the early favourites along with Manchester United technical director Darren Fletcher, while Paul Lambert and Jack Ross are also thought to be in the frame should the axe fall on the 41-year-old.

Having paid St Mirren compensation in the region of £250,000 to take Goodwin north less than a year ago to replace the sacked Stephen Glass, Cormack appears reluctant to trigger another hefty pay out for an underperforming manager who signed a two-and-a-half- year deal last February.

However, the vultures have been circling over Pittodrie for some time, with Monday’s embarrassing loss stretching the team’s dismal run to just one win in nine matches since the World Cup break.

There is every indication that another poor result against the struggling Hibees would signal the end of Goodwin’s brief spell in charge.

Addressing the current situation after a board meeting yesterday, Cormack said: “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.

“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.”