Who’d be a manager eh? Lee McCulloch may be in the running to take over the reins at Kilmarnock but you would’ve forgiven him for saying “sod that” after fitba’s fickle fortunes doled out a bamboozling dunt to morale as Aberdeen pinched the points with a devastating late salvo.

“I have had a one-and-a-half minute conversation with the board so I will speak to them again this week,” said McCulloch. Funnily enough that was just about as long as it took for the three points to slip from Kilmarnock’s grasp.

One goal to the good with just seven minutes to go, the hosts were left scratching their heads like Stan Laurel trying to fill in his tax return as Aberdeen scored twice in as many minutes to record their 13th straight victory over the Ayrshiremen and make in nine wins from 10 outings.

Read more: Matthew Lindsay: Aberdeen certain to edge out Rangers in race for second - thanks to Celtic loanee Ryan Christie

It was a double substitution that ultimately brought double delight for the visitors. Jayden Stockley and Peter Pawlett had both been thrust into action in the 72nd minute and they turned out to be the match winners. In stark contrast, Kilmarnock substitute Miles Addison, who had been called on to replace the injured Steven Smith with less than 15 minutes remaining, probably wished he’d stayed firmly rooted to the bench.

In the 83rd minute, he tried to stave off the advances of Adam Rooney when he may have been better hoofing a bouncing ball into the stand but he didn’t see Stockley nipping in on the blind side and the Aberdeen man pounced on the defensive dithering to equalise. Moments later, Addison was again in the not so merry midst of it when Niall McGinn’s cross dribbled down his thigh and fell to Pawlett who smashed in a second. To complete Addison’s misery, the ball deflected off him on its way into the net. Given the day he was having, Addison probably went home and burnt his supper.

“We came in at half time and I said ‘we’re not used to winning against Aberdeen or Rangers or Celtic at half time so let’s stay outside our comfort zone and keep playing the way we are playing’,” said McCulloch. “For the most part we did that. And then we just had a crazy few minutes. It was a horrendous goal to lose and it gave them impetus to get another.”

The Dons were not so much dandy, more modestly handy during an opening spell that was far from rousing. With the hosts sitting deep, the visitors were afforded plenty of possession and they should have really made an early breakthrough on 13 minutes when Johnny Haynes jinked his way into a shooting position on the angle of the area. His shot took a wicked deflection which turned the ball into a spinning bundle of menace and as it hurtled into the six-yard box, McGinn’s close-range poke was brilliantly saved by Freddie Woodman.

Read more: Matthew Lindsay: Aberdeen certain to edge out Rangers in race for second - thanks to Celtic loanee Ryan Christie

Aberdeen looked fairly comfortable without really terrifying their opponents but it was a well-drilled Kilmarnock who gave their guests the heebie-jeebies as half-time loomed as they forged an advantage. Jordan Jones laid a pass off to Ryan McKenzie and his crisply clattered shot sailed into the bottom corner. It was a delightfully executed finish.

Aberdeen had been rattled like the half-time crockery and Graeme Shinnie was brought on to replace Mark Reynolds to add a bit more attacking oomph. They found themselves on the back foot just moments after the resumption, though, as Kilmarnock had a collective bawl for a penalty waved away when Conor Sammon toppled under a clumsy challenge from Ash Taylor. A couple of meaty challenges and some tumbling bodies led to a fair amount of heated finger-wagging as proceedings became decidedly lively. Kris Boyd thumped a raking volley just wide before Aberdeen began to make some threatening inroads. Despite beetling about with just one boot on, Kenny McLean managed to stride forward and unleash a shot with the foot that had a boot on but Woodman got down low to parry. McLean then had another go and surged forward with purpose only to pull his shot wide.

The emergence of Pawlett and Stockley would prove to be decisive as Aberdeen managed to winkle out a victory with that late double whammy. Kilmarnock tried to salvage something in the last knockings and Addison went down in the box as the meat in an Aberdeen defensive sandwich but no penalty was given despite the howls of protest.