Sam Cosgrove has now netted 16 goals for the season, 14 of them coming in the past 13 games, a very impressive scoring streak. Keep it going Sam! And with him in the running for the Ballon D’O, the Red Matchday team recently looked back at other AFC strikers who have won awards…

Joe Harper

Joe Harper remains the Dons record scorer and one of the greatest ever players to wear the red of Aberdeen. His best ever season came in season 1971.72 when he netted a remarkable 52 goals in all matches. By the time the Dons opened the season with a visit from Dundee in the League Cup, Harper had already scored four goals on the clubs tour of Germany and their successful Drybrough Cup campaign.

Joe ended the season with a remarkable 33 league goals from 34 First Division outings. In all competitive matches Joe was away in front in the Scottish League with 39 goals, ahead of Dixie Deans (Celtic) 25, Kenny Dalglish (Celtic) 23 and Donald Ford (Hearts) 18. Harper ended as top scorer in British football that season. In England Franny Lee led the way with 35 goals for Manchester City ahead of Martin Chivers, Peter Lorimer and George Best.

Harper’s goal scoring feats were also being recognised in Europe. As the Dons season drew to a close the Dons hitman was in good company as he was challenging for the coveted European ‘Golden Boot’ award that was developed by Adidas. As Joe didn’t add to his tally in their final game, he was pipped to the title by two legends of world football. Gerd Muller of Bayern Munich took the Golden Boot while Eusebio of Portugal was runner up. Joe ended with the ‘Bronze Boot’ in a competition that only included league goals which was sponsored by the renowned ‘France Football magazine.

Harper was presented with his award in September 1972 and became the first Aberdeen player to pick up a European award.

In that memorable season Joe was also on the mark against top class European opponents as the new UEFA Cup came into being. Aberdeen played in that inaugural competition after it had replaced the outdated Inter Cities Fairs Cup. Joe recalled the difference between Budapest (Honved 1970) and Vigo; “While Budapest was a desperate place, the trip to Spain and Vigo was like a different world. Vigo was a beautiful place and it was a fantastic trip for us. It was also one of our best ever performances in Europe; we played really well against a quality side. Celta were not that experienced in Europe but they were backed by a passionate 30,000 crowd in their superb stadium.

We showed that night how well suited we were for European football. Again I was among the goals and the 2-0 win was a tremendous result for us.”

In the return at Pittodrie the Dons were expected to finish the tie in style but it only compounded the magnitude of the first leg result. For long spells at Pittodrie the Dons were left trying to maintain control as the visitors showed enough composure to suggest they could rescue the tie. It took a sensational last minute goal from Joe to give Aberdeen a 3-0 aggregate win.

“Not many people believed how good a result that was for Aberdeen but Celta showed how good they were when they played us off the park in the return at Pittodrie. We couldn’t get near them all evening but I managed to score a great goal near the end to give us the 1-0 win.”

The second round draw brought Aberdeen together with tournament favourites Juventus. The Italians were a world class side and that season they had amassed the most expensive side in world football. There was no question that Aberdeen were up against a side of real quality and with the first leg in Turin the hope was that they could at least keep the tie alive for the return in Scotland.
Joe perhaps came up against his toughest opponent against the Italians;

“Morino their centre half was as good as it got. He was a seasoned Italian international and typically Italian. In the return at Pittodrie I was man-marked by him; literally. He used all the tricks in the book, chatting away although I could not understand a word he said. When the ball was away from us he would nip me and he knew what he was about, it was just their way. Nevertheless he was a quality defender and one of the best around.

“We had to really dig in and play for pride against a side that was probably the best club side in the world at that time. In the first game in Turin we were lucky to come away with a 2-0 defeat. They were all over us over there and it was a lesson for us. You have to remember that some of these guys cost hundreds of thousands back then which was a fortune back then, they were in a different world from us.”

Joe Harper, honoured in Paris yesterday as one of Europe’s top goal scorers today received his Bronze Boot award from Aberdeen FC director, Mr Charles Forbes. And Joe, who could not make the trip because he was on League Cup duty said he was delighted and honoured to receive the award.

Frank McDougall

When Aberdeen won the Premier Division in 1984.85 with a then record points haul, they were spearheaded by Frank McDougall, signed from St Mirren by Alex Ferguson for a £100,000 in July 1984.

McDougall thrived in the company of better players and his 22 Premier League goals that season was enough to earn Frank the Golden Boot award.

Frank was presented with his award before the Dons European tie with Akranes at Pittodrie. McDougall missed the game through suspension. The award was a first for Scottish football.

McDougall scored two hat tricks in his goal tally and he was also on the mark for the Dons in the domestic cups that season. McDougall looked set for a profitable Pittodrie career but a persistent back injury forced an early retirement at the age of 29.

Frank recalled his time at Pittodrie as the best period of his football career “It was great to part of that Aberdeen side. We were a real force at the time and when Alex Ferguson came in for me I had little hesitation in joining Aberdeen, they were a great club with a tradition and I was happy to be part of that. Like any footballer I wanted to win things and it was all happening at Pittodrie back then.

Alex Ferguson was a big influence on my career and it really took of at Aberdeen, I loved scoring goals and in that side it seemed a lot easier. Ferguson was great manager although I was once on the wrong side of him after he discovered I was playing snooker one Thursday night before the game on the Saturday.

“He was none too pleased about that and he certainly made me aware of his anger! He was that way with us all and it was all very thorough and professional with Fergie, he never missed a trick. I had a great striking partner in Eric Black who was a lot younger than me, he was exceptional in the air and we struck up a great understanding—he could head them all day as long as I got on the end of them and put them away.

“The highlights for me was when I scored all four goals against Celtic on one occasion and also I got a hat trick against Rangers. The atmosphere at Pittodrie back then was fantastic, we celebrated scoring and they were really up for it, especially against the two Glasgow clubs. The Aberdeen support really got behind the team and it was a great highlight to be part of that great Aberdeen team.”