David Wylie

Aberdeen’s longest serving member of staff is about to hang up his medical bag, for physio David Wylie is retiring after an incredible 33 years at Pittodrie. But whilst the Ross County game will be David’s last ever league match, he will still be involved in the opening European games next season.

There is an in depth interview with David in Sunday's RedMatchday Magazine:

“My wife Leslie has been married to a football club for a long time now and I feel that the time is right to try more time with her.”

As a physio for nearly 40 years, and having filled that position with the Dons since 1983, Dave has a few tales to tell about the fastest developing job in the game.

“I trained as a chartered physiotherapist at the Southern General hospital in Glasgow, back in the days before it became a degree course, but it was a professional qualification instead. From there, I moved on to my first job which was at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie. I was there for about 18 months.

“I then moved to Bath Street Clinic in Glasgow which was a GP referral clinic. It was with the NHS but the work was more sports related and a few of the staff were already involved in football. I was only there for three or four months and I got a telephone call from Ally MacLeod inviting me along for a chat at Motherwell. I joined them in 1979 and stayed for four years.

“Ironically, the Aberdeen job had become available after the departure of Brian Scott to Celtic a week before and the staff in the clinic encouraged me to apply but I felt at the time I needed more experience.”

“Motherwell had just been relegated and it took 3 years to get back up and we did it in style under Davie Hay, who was to leave at the end of that season. The following season Jock Wallace took over and the reality of life in the Premier league hit us, but we managed to stay up.”

After serving that apprenticeship at Motherwell, David’s career took a decisive turn in 1983, in the aftermath of a memorable night in Gothenburg.

“Roland Arnott had the claim to fame of being the Dons’ physio in Gothenburg but he decided to return to England at the end of the 1982/83 season. That left a vacancy at Pittodrie in the physio room. I got tipped off quite quickly by other physios in the industry and they all said that I should apply for the position so I did. I recall being at a wedding reception in Lanark and getting a phone call to confirm my appointment. Incredibly, the band’s next tune was the Northern Lights!”

“I arrived in the summer of ’83, on the 8th July, post Gothenburg. Although I missed the Cup Winners’ Cup final I was still lucky enough to have worked with that team. And I did get the Super Cup final, which in those days was a two leg tie.”

“It was quite daunting coming in at first as I had left a club that had struggled to avoid relegation to go to a side that had just won the European Cup Winners’ Cup and Scottish Cup! It was a team of big characters as well.”

To read the interview in full and all about David's time at Pittodrie please buy a copy of RedMatchday Magazine Issue 23.