Scott Wright

Scott Wright has made a big impression this season already. He has another chance to possibly impress on Friday night when the Scotland U21s take on their English counterparts. Scott recently spoke to RedMatchday Magazine about his career thus far:

With a goal of the season contender at Firhill to follow on from a hat-trick at the same venue at the end of last term, it's true to say that these days, nobody stings Patrick Thistle quite the way Scott Wright does. The young Aberdeen forward has made a powerful impression since bursting into the first team but it’s Patrick in particular who have felt the biggest impact.

“It is certainly a ground I am quite fond of! The game at Firhill last season is certainly up there as one of my top games so far. I just remember travelling down the night before and it was all quite laid back as it was the last day of the league season and we had secured second spot.

“We knew we had to get through that game before we could start focussing on the cup final at Hampden a week later. Having said that, manager was on at us all in week in training to go and beat the points tally from the season before. That is something he takes great pride in and understandably so.

“We travelled later in the evening which I think helped me. It was a case of arriving at the hotel, having supper and then bed, so there was no time to kill in the hotel. I did not have time to worry about whether I was playing or not.

“It was an early kick-off as well, so in the morning it was just a case of getting up and having our breakfast/pre-match meal. We were then told the team, went to the ground and warmed up and before you knew it, you are in the game. By that time you are focused purely on the game, whether you are on the bench or starting. Luckily, I had managed to get into the starting XI. The rest of the day after that is a blur really!

“I was told I was playing just before we left the team hotel so it would have been about two hours before kick off. With it only being my second start I was really looking forward to it. I wanted just to go and show the manager what I could do. I’d had bits and pieces of games all season, little cameos from the bench, but it is different starting a game. I wanted to show the manager that he could trust me on the pitch. That is the most important thing. For him to be able to trust me not just going forward, but defensively as well.

“If I had to pick which goal was my favourite it would be a tough choice between my first and the second. I would probably say my first because it was the my first goal for my boyhood team.

“All the hard work that I have put in throughout my career so far paid off in that one moment. I said at the time if that was the only goal of the game, I would have been very happy with that. I would have been able to say I had scored for Aberdeen. But then the other two came and I was delighted with that as well! I have to admit, the third goal was a bit fluky as it hit off the defender and the deflection took it away from the keeper

“Graeme Shinnie, who was on the bench, pulled me aside at half-time and had a word. Myself and Graeme are very close in the changing room. He said to me, “Just keep doing what you are doing, get on the ball and go and get your third”. He actually said, “When you score your third come and celebrate with me!” I was actually quite annoyed with myself that I did not do it for my first two, so when the third one went in, I ran towards him. Graeme had burst through the bench to get out onto the pitch! It was a bit like a dad hugging his son! It was a great moment and I was lucky it happened.

“I need to take confidence from that game. It is about having that belief from the manager and Tony Docherty and also having all the players behind you. Everyday at training they are encouraging me. For me that is very important. I think all wide players are associated with confidence. If you get the ball and beat a player then you grow in confidence and it means the next time you get the ball it’s more likely your next move will come off. When a winger has confidence, that is when you will see them coming out of their shell.

“I’m delighted with how the season has started for me. It was important that I tried to keep the ball rolling from last season. I was pleased to go away with the Scotland U20s to the Toulon Tournament. I was really disappointed with how that turned out though. Getting injured straight away in the first game was so disappointing.

“I phoned the manager when it happened and I was quite worried it was going to play a part in the start to the season. I was not able to switch off over the summer as anything I did, I had to think how would it affect my injury. I was conscious of how much of a delay it would play in the start to my season. It was a worry. I wanted to keep the momentum going from the Thistle game.

“I worked really closely with the phyisos over the break and now I am back fit. I was delighted to play a part in the European games. Those nights at Pittodrie are tremendous and they are so important for the club. We need to try and get more of them. It was a shame we could not go further this season.

“The goal again this season is to qualify for Europe and hopefully progress further next season. We are desperate to get to the group stages and we feel it is possible. Apollon managed to do it this season. Maribor who beat us last season are in the Champions League group stages. They are both teams who we more than matched over two legs so we are not that far away. Hopefully we can have another great season and then look forward to another European run next summer.

“The manager sets small goals as the season goes along and I know it is a cliché, but it really is one game at a time. It is the best way to go about it. If you are focused on each game then you are not going to get caught up in the bigger picture. You are not going to get lost in amongst everything else that is going on and you are not going to start thinking about other teams. We just think about ourselves and take it game by game. If we play the way we know we can play, then we should be up there.

“My personal targets for the season are to keep fighting and try and force my way into the team. When I am in the team, I then need to do something to keep myself in the side for the following week, be that scoring a goal or providing an assist, or even if it is just working hard defensively. If I can keep my place in the team, that’s what I am going to try and do.”

Scott, who also had an impressive cameo for the Scotland U21s last week in the 2-0 win over Holland, has made his way right through the ranks here at Pittodrie and so he’s a bit of an Aberdeen veteran who has seen plenty of changes over the years.

“A lot has changed with the Youth Academy and the Community set up since I started with the club. I signed when I was about eight and I have been here the whole time. Aberdeen is the only club I know. The coaching back then was good but it is even better now with the advanced centres. The coaches in the Academy are doing a great job. They really take a pride in how well it is run.

“My first memory would probably be turning up at Cairnhill, the astro pitches next to Asda, on a cold night. It was a trial and there was a lot of boys. I remember my dad came back from Pittodrie one day, he was very close to Chic McLelland who used to work here. He spoke to my dad and said he wanted to take me in on trial for a few weeks. I did not think much of it at the time. Even at U17 level I was still not thinking I could make a career out of it. I was just enjoying playing football. I think that's the best approach to take.

“I have been on every step of the ladder with the Youth Academy up to now. That makes me appreciate what I have managed to do a bit more. I have played at every age level. Now I am at this level it is going to take even more hard work to get into the starting XI. If you can do that, it is then even harder work to stay in the team. That’s probably the hardest thing to do. All I can do is work hard in training and work hard in games to prove to the management team I deserve to be in the team every week.

“It means a lot because I am an Aberdeen fan. I have supported them my whole life although I only came to some of the games with my dad because with the Youth Academy, most Saturdays I would be playing. I remember coming to the Dnipro game with my dad. It was the first European night in a while. I didn’t come to the Bayern Munich game later that season because he went corporate with his work so me and my mum had to stay at home and watch it on TV!

“Being an Aberdeen fan, my first goal for the club meant even more. It was a very special moment for my family and friends. They knew how much it meant to me, it was the icing on the cake. Getting a taste of it makes you want to work even harder so you can have more moments like it.”

Please be advised of the following international team selections(s):

Player(s) Name: Scott McKenna & Scott Wright
Country: Scotland
Competition: U21 UEFA Championship Qualifiers

Match Details: England v Scotland
Friday 6th October 2017
Riverside Staidum, Middlesbrough
Kick-off 7.45pm

Match Details: Latvia v Scotland
Tuesday 10th October
Daugava Liepja, Liepaja
Kick-off 6.00pm