We have packed a lot in to our Boxing Day programme for you.

There is an in depth interview with Scott McKenna. Well worth a read:

Other players will do different things to try and get the game turned in our favour or get us on the front foot. Shinnie will throw himself into a tackle or Niall or Gary will try and beat a few players.

That is what I have also been trying to do recently, to lead by example.

I have probably come out of my shell a bit. When you first come in the team as a young boy, you are trying to be quiet and do everything everyone tells you. You just listen. Now I can have a bit more banter because the boys know what I can do and have a bit more respect for me. So maybe I am a bit louder, but other than that I am very much the same.

I have more confidence on the pitch and about the club as well. People don’t look at you as a young boy any longer, because you are playing week in week out for the first team. You feel more comfortable but I try and stay ‘myself’. It has worked for me so far, so I don’t want to change the way I am.

I know supporters like to see the kids getting a chance but I know from my experience that there is no point in throwing a young boy in for the sake of it. It is not the best thing for the player, as it can ruin you.

I remember that I was getting frustrated when I was not in the team but I recognise now that I was not ready – you don’t realise that at the time! It is something I accept now. It is only natural to get frustrated when you are on the bench or sitting in the stand and you want to play.

I know now that the manager did the best thing for me when he sent me out on loan. He told me to go and learn so when he did put me in the first team, he knew I was ready and that he could trust me. I have managed to stay in since then which proves that he was right. If I had played and I was not ready, and we had lost three or four nil, I might never have played again and who knows where I would be now.

Plus we had a sit down with Graeme Shinnie to look back at 2018:

This season, there have been big changes. Players will come and go at clubs, but when you have players who have been the mainstay of the team going, it’s hard to keep replacing them. Credit to the manager though, he has managed to do that very well throughout his time here and get new boys in.

A big plus this year has been the younger players coming through. It’s so refreshing to see. They’re coping with pressure too. Sometimes young boys come in and have no fear about them and they just want to go and play their football. I think Connor showed that when he came on as he changed the game completely. He was so direct, putting good balls into the box and if you have that constant threat, it’s going to pay off in the end.

For the likes of big Sam getting those couple of goals lately has been really good for him because the strikers have been criticised for not scoring enough goals. I was delighted for him and for Stevie getting his goal at St Mirren too. There was a lot of pressure on that penalty, but he stuck it away nicely.

Lewis has had some big moments for us. He has scored some crucial goals in big games which is important. For his first season, he has settled in really well. His goals have shown that he has good game intelligence. For such a young lad to give us that is massive for the team, but he is still learning all the time.

And Andrew Considine took time out to tell us about his involvement with the U16s.

I’m very lucky to get the opportunity to be involved with the Youth Academy. I was starting to go on my UEFA B Licence course, but I felt I needed to see if coaching really was for me. I must say a massive thanks to Gavin Levey, Robbie Hedderman and Steven Gunn. They all helped me out and got me involved. From day one, the group were fantastic. I managed to do about half a dozen sessions myself and it was a great experience. It was something I needed. I needed to get to grips with it.

I’ve worked with a good number of management teams at Pittodrie, so that has given me a lot of experience because every manager and coach is different. I have a feel for what works and what does not. But when you do it, it’s a completely different job to playing football, it really is. It’s like starting all over again. As a footballer, everything is done for you. You are told what to do, and you go and do it. But I see so much more to the game now that I am involved with being a coach and standing on the sidelines.

I’ve gone through my B Licence now, so I’m waiting to see if I have passed or not. I went down to Broadwood during the three international breaks this season and I was in a group alongside a lot of professionals who are still involved with in the game. It was nice to get to know the likes of Danny Swanson, Marvin Bartley and Stephen McGinn who were on the course. You also had coaches from America, Belgium, all over the world. It was very interesting to see the coaching drills that they put on.

I would like to think the young players got something from me being there, especially as I am a first team player so they can relate to me and it is all about them seeing the pathway that is in place at this club. Before me, Rachel Corsie worked with the group as she mentioned in a recent programme and the boys would have also benefited greatly from Rachel’s experience.

Talking of Rachel, the Scotland Captain has penned another brilliant column:

June 9, eleven of Scotland’s most privileged will stand in the tunnel of the State de Nice. Apprehension, fear, excitement will grip our hearts, as we embrace one last still moment before the anthems seal our fate and the whistle will blow.

The Women’s World Cup will have begun two days earlier in Paris as Group A, and the hosts, France, will open the fairytale against South Korea.

Earlier this month, the FIFA Women’s World Cup draw was performed in an aptly flamboyant French fair. Both, a celebration for those countries participating and another milestone in the history of the Women’s game, as preparations are long underway for the eighth official tournament.

A media-frenzy ensued once the draw was confirmed, as Scotland were cast out of pot three, to face England, Japan and Argentina in Group D.

First up, the Auld Enemy; an enthralling opponent. A rivalry that may be the greatest of all in football, a ferocious spectacle that will catch the eye of many. The crippling horror of the 6-0 defeat at the Euro’s in 2017 will never be forgotten or overcome, but some refuge will be salvageable if we can produce a performance that gets the tournament off to a profitable start. A tall order, but uncharacteristically, optimism runs high within, as the team have galvanised its disciplined identity, whilst rejuvenating its inherent youthful flare.

The former players Interview by Charlie Allan is with Graham Watson. The Developing Don feature is on Sean Linden. Plus the usual extensive history section.

Red Matchday Issue 14 |

to buy a copy online please click here

Red Matchday Magazine is available to buy in and around the ground from the programme sellers for £3.00. You can pick up a copy from the AFC Club Shop and if you can’t make the match you can pick a copy by clicking on the link above.

Finally, a note from the editor: A massive thank you to all our contributors who helped put five programmes together in the space of a two week period. And thank you to all our loyal readers who keep buying the programme. Have a great Christmas everyone!

As always, we welcome your comments and feedback on the programme this season. Please feel free to get in touch with the editor (Malcolm Panton) at redtv@afc.co.uk