Young Sam Robertson is a name Aberdeen fans have been getting used to this season. The fullback joined the Dons last summer and has since forced his way into Paul Sheerin’s U20 side, playing his part in what has been a memorable campaign.

But if Sam is new to Aberdeen, football fans in the north of Scotland will need no introduction to his dad, who will forever be part of Inverness football folklore.

Wilson Robertson scored the last ever goal for Inverness Caley before the merger that created Inverness Caley Thistle. Then, in Caley Thistle’s first competitive game, a 2-0 Coca-Cola Cup victory away to East Stirlingshire on 9 August 1994, Wilson scored the new club’s first ever goal. He played 27 games in that historic 1994/95 season and scored six goals in total. Prior to that, ‘Wilsie’ as he was known, was a huge favourite in the Highland League with the Caley fans. They will always remember him for scoring some famous goals and he was also part of the historic 1982-83 side.

That year they had a Highland League record of won 23, drew 7, lost 0, which made them the first and to date only unbeaten champions of the Highland League in the post-war era. Coincidentally Bora Rangers could become only the second team to remain unbeaten throughout the season in the Highland League this Saturday if they beat Rothes.

Sam’s dad joined Caley from Dundee in 1981, and travelled up from Aberdeen to Caley Park every week for 13 years. Wilson then played another year with Caley Thistle in the Football League before moving to back to the Highland League with Buckie Thistle and then Aberdeen Junior side, Bon Accord. He amassed 494 appearances, scoring 191 times, and won a very impressive 17 medals during his career. Sam started by telling us about his famous father.

“He always tells me he was a star up in Inverness! I did not really believe him but when I played up there this season, one of the photographers stopped me before the game and started talking about him which shows he must have been famous! Seriously though, I know he is still something of a hero up there. I know when he goes up to games there, he gets a lot of the older fans coming up and speaking to him about his playing days. Everyone seems to know him.

“He played for Inverness Caley and their main rivals were Inverness Thistle. He played one season for Inverness Caley Thistle in the league and scored their first ever goal as well as Caley’s last ever goal before the teams merged – that’s pretty good! He was a left winger, but retired from the game before I started watching them.

“He still tells me about a lot about his footballing days! He tells me he used to take quite a bit of abuse from rival fans but used to score a lot of last minute winners which he enjoyed. My grandparents also talk a lot about him. I believe he used to have a lot of pace. I also know that a number of clubs such as Leeds United and Dundee United were interested in signing him at one time.

When Alex Ferguson was at Aberdeen, healso rated him highly. “Having a dad who used to play is a big advantage because he knows what it is like. I know from reading Andrew Considine’s interview last week that he would agree with that. He is very positive and always tells me to keep my head up. He keeps telling me my chance will come. He also helps my little brother who is at Aberdeen. Lloyd plays for the U14s.

“I am a local lad, I am from Aberdeen. I went to Mile End Primary School and then I went to the Grammar and played for them in second and third year before coming into the AFC Academy system at U15 level. I only had a few months with the U15s and then had two seasons with the U17s and came in full time after my second year.

“During my second season with the 17s, I came into Pittodrie quite a bit and was part of the U19 squad. I played a few games towards the tail end of last season. I was always confident I would get a professional contract but with so many players coming in during this summer, I was not completely sure. I was the last one to meet with Neil Simpson and Scott Anderson and I had received texts from a lot of the other boys who had been offered contracts, so I started to doubt if they would take so many in, so it was quite a relief, as well as a great feeling.

“I am a right-back. I have played at left-back as well, I’m comfortable in both positions, but right-back is really my position. When I first played for Aberdeen, I was actually a winger like my dad but over time, I’ve developed into a full-back.”

As with a number of the other young Dons we have spoken to recently in RedMatchday, Sam has had to wait patiently for his chance in the U20 side due to the five player over age rule. But like the others, he recognises there are positives and negatives in the Development League’s rules.

“It is a bit frustrating to train every day and then not to have a game at the end of it. Then when you do get called up it can be hard because you lack that match sharpness but you still need be able to play at the standard that is needed, so this year has been a huge learning curve for me. That’s okay because you have to recognise that the first year is all about learning.

“The one advantage of having the over age rule is that you get to play with first team players and you can learn so much from that – Barry Robson is a good example. He has done so much in the game, played in the Champions League, played at International level, so when you play with him for the U20s, it is a great experience. He has a great attitude, he’s a winner and he is a great talker on the pitch. Even Cammy Smith, who is still a young lad, has played in the first team and is able to pass on advice.

“I have been very impressed with Paul Sheerin too. His man management is excellent. If you do something wrong he will explain to you what you did wrong so you can learn. He is not over critical but has very high standards which is good because he gets the best out of you.”

“It has been enjoyable being part of a winning team this season. It has been a good year for the boys and the spirit amongst everyone in the U20 dressing room is so great because of where we are in the league. Confidence is high, but we need to keep getting results, that is the most important thing at this stage of the season. We have four big games remaining.

“I think the one regret this season is that we did not do better in the SFA Youth Cup. We were knocked out by Hibs and we did not do ourselves justice that day. I think we have a very strong U20 side without the over age players and it would have been interesting to see how well we might have done. We will still have a very strong side next season so hopefully we can have a good run then.

“Next season will be a big year for myself and all the other boys who came in this year such as Robbie Mutch, Daniel Harvie, Frank Ross, Jamie Henry and Kalvin Orsi. I just need to keep working hard and hopefully my chance will come.”