Niall, star of the show on Sunday, sat down a few weeks ago and spoke with the AFC programme editor:

 

“Always happy to help”.

I don’t know what the Latin translation of that is, but if anybody does, perhaps they could pass it on to Niall McGinn so that he could take it as the family motto.

Once again, Niall leads the way at the top of the assists lists this term, happily creating the goals that keep the Dons in the upper reaches of the league and on the hunt for cup success.

The quality of his delivery from dead ball situations can very often make the difference in a match.

“That has always been a big part of my game, something I have always been proud of since I have been here. It is maybe something that is not talked about a lot but during my first spell here, over four or five seasons I had close to 50 assists.

“Being a wide player, that side of the game is so important. It’s always nice to chip in with goals whenever I can, but when I am taking free-kicks or corners, I am not getting myself into a good position to be scoring, so it is good to contribute to the team in another way.

“Tony Docherty and Barry Robson spend a lot of time working on the set pieces. A lot of work goes into it behind the scenes, in analysing other teams to identify the weak points which we can then hopefully exploit for our benefit. You can have the biggest defenders in the league but it is all about the timing of the runs and the delivery helps as well. If the runs are right and I can pick them out then you are going to create opportunities.

“A prime example was the semi-final against Rangers when Lewis has got round the back and scored a great goal. That was the difference between winning and losing and highlights how important set-pieces are in today’s football.

“I have a lot to remember before I play the ball in! My timing has to be right as the players in the area are going off my signals. If I am constantly on it and putting the ball into the right areas, it becomes a lot easier for me to remember things and for me to find the right runs!

“I have been chipping in with assists right through the season, which is pleasing for me. It is something I thrive on. I have always been near the top when I have played for Aberdeen and hopefully I can score a few goals to add to it too. My aim at the start of any season is to reach double figures.

“I picked up a knock in late December so the winter break came at a good time for me and I was able to work hard with the physios in Dubai. It was just a niggling injury with the groin. I had a similar rehab to what I have done before, so I can go and do it for myself. Even during the break, I was able to work on things behind the scenes.

“The big thing is that I am feeling refreshed and fit for the second of the season. I’m looking to be more consistent and keep enjoying my football and help us to do something special in the months ahead.

“As a player, you know you have to keep your standards high. It has always been difficult to get in this Aberdeen side, that has been the case ever since I have been here. You have to be performing well to play, so it’s down to you to keep working hard and keep pushing on. You have to keep showing the manager that he can rely on you and I believe I have always shown that since I have worked with him. I have that knowhow.

“We want a strong squad and we want competition for places. We have to make it hard as possible for the manager selecting his team every week. The manager does have options for different games which is a good thing and it was great to see Greg and Max coming back into the club in January to add to that.

“With Greg, we just want him to show the form he showed at the start of the season for Kilmarnock. If he can do that, he is going to be a massive player for us. Greg is someone you can play the ball to and work off him. We can make runs for him when he is on the half turn. More often than not, he will find you. He is a player you want in your team and enjoy playing with. He will create chances for others and will chip in with goals. It can only benefit the team having a player of his quality in it. He is a very intelligent player.

“Then I have really enjoyed playing with Max in the first part of the season. He’s a good full-back to play with. He gets forward, he speaks to you and is a very talented footballer as well. He allows me to come inside so he can get round the outside. Or if I am outside, he will hold his runs. He is very good at that.

“To have him behind me is great and very reassuring. He is still a young lad and I will try and help him as much as possible, as well as him helping my game. You are always learning in this game.

“He is some athlete and is always running. That is a good thing for a defender. If he finds himself out of position, he can get himself back in there very quickly. He has managed to get himself a couple of goals too which is always good for a defender, as well as getting down the line and creating for others.”

While Niall has been a model of consistency in his time at Pittodrie, that spell has also coincided with a period where the Dons have enjoyed extraordinary results on the road – in every year the current management team have been at the club, the side have reached double figures for away wins. To put that in context, in the past, the club have won league championships without doing that. Niall has been a pivotal part of that success with his ability to break forward from defence quickly.

“Why have we done so well away from home? I think it’s down to a few things. Our attention to detail is incredible, as is the way the manager prepares for each game. The onus is on the home teams to come at us a bit more, which gives us space to use our players to attack them. The important thing is to take your chances when they come along and we’ve been good at that. Also we are very good at going ahead in these games and then we have the ability to defend and see them out.

“A lot of credit must also go to the fans. The away fans always give us such good support, they often outnumber the home support and even when they don’t, there is always a good atmosphere anywhere we travel. We must thank them for that. They give us that lift to push on and win the game.

“A few weeks ago at Stenhousemuir was a good example. They travelled down in their numbers on a really cold night and helped make the game a lot easier than it might have been. They knew the importance of helping us into the next round of the cup.

“They understand the game and what can happen – and that there are 11 people trying to stop us! They have been especially good in the cup games, where anything can happen.

“We’ve been to many semi-finals and a few finals over my time, so we want to go that one step further in the Scottish Cup. I’ve won the League Cup so it would be great to add the Scottish Cup. I’d love to win it for Aberdeen.

“In the League we just want to keep picking up points. We have got good strength in depth now in the squad. We have good players who are capable of going on good runs over the rest of the season. But every season it gets harder to compete with teams who are financially a lot better off.

“We had a great December and if we can repeat that form over the next month, we will be where we want to be. If you can string three or four wins together in the league, you can quickly get yourself in a good position. We had a difficult start to the season, where we did not pick up as many wins as we would have liked and drew games we should have won, but that run in December allowed us to recover from that.

“There are certainly no easy games, so we know that we are going to have to perform well to achieve wins.

“As I said, our away form has been great once again and we have picked up a lot of points on the road. Our away form since I have been at the club has always been decent so if we can keep our home form going, hopefully we can still be in a good position at the top end of the table going into the top six.”