As 2017 draws to a close, it’s another twelve months we Dons fans can look back on with a sense of pride and satisfaction; a year during which we have established ourselves quite clearly as the second force in the land, despite the claims of others.

The first half of the year was, on occasion, simply stunning!

The boys racked up win after win, played some scintillating attacking football, and pulled off some highly impressive victories; the highlights being the seven-goal thrashings of Motherwell at Pittodrie and Dundee at Dens, a night which probably produced the outstanding personal contribution of 2017 – an Andrew Considine hat-trick!!

There were some brilliant performances during those early months of the year, both team and individual, so much so that the lists for the Player of the Year awards were packed with a number of serious contenders.

It was Andrew Considine who came out on top, but half a dozen others would also have been worthy winners.

The only thing missing was silverware, and the boys came so close to putting that right at Hampden last May. Losing the Scottish Cup final they way we did was cruel and heartbreaking.

The summer saw some major departures as top talent departed Pittodrie, McGinn and Hayes the highest profile of those. I think we could all understand why they wanted new challenges, and both left on good terms and with our thanks and appreciation for everything they’d done in a red shirt, but the moves haven’t really worked out for either, and were perhaps a reminder that the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere.

That must have been one of the deciding factors for Derek McInnes back in June (and again later in the year!) when he too was offered the opportunity to move on. His decision to stay, followed by some excellent dealing in the transfer market, showed just how quickly things can change in this game, and from the depths of depression, Dons supporters had plenty to look forward to once more.

This season hasn’t been as spectacular, but for the most part the team has found results, and, but for the instability caused by Rangers’ farcical six-week pursuit of the manager, we might even have found ourselves top of the table given that we’ve already won more matches and collected more points than we had going into the winter shutdown last year.

2017 has seen the emergence of young talent with Scott Wright, Frank Ross and, most impressively, Scott McKenna all forcing their way into the first team. Add them to the clear signs that the summer recruits all now seem to have found their feet, and there’s every reason for us to be genuinely optimistic for the second half of the campaign.

There have been so many reasons to celebrate the old year, but chief among them for me has been the confirmation that we now have a club captain whose standing and performances befit the role.

It was a disgrace that Graeme Shinnie was denied a first Scotland cap against the Netherlands, but he’s responded in exactly the way I’d have anticipated and has been consistently outstanding before and since. Graeme has been our ‘Man of the Year’ in 2017 and will continue to drive the team forward in 2018, showing a great example to all his team-mates.

And hopefully, come May, we’ll see him lifting that famous old trophy aloft at the national stadium.