When you get to a certain age you often hear a piece of information that makes you realise that you’re getting old. I got that feeling recently upon hearing that Dons legend Eoin Jess had celebrated his 50^th birthday.

Despite being almost ten years my senior, Eoin didn’t seem much older than me when he broke into the Aberdeen team as a teenager and I was still in Primary School. Jess holds a special place in the hearts of Dons fans of a similar age to me. The mid to late 80’s are my earliest football memories. Although those around my age were lucky enough to see the likes of Willie Miller and Alex McLeish playing, we also just missed out on the glory days that arrived earlier in the decade.

For my generation of Dandies, Eoin Jess was the player we all used to mimic in the playground. We had heard and read all the stories of the legendary players that had came before but in Jess, we had a future legend of our own. I was at Primary School when Jess debuted and I was a working 20-year-old man by the time he left for the last time. I had grown up watching Aberdeen teams with Jess in the starting line-up and he was a player I always loved to watch.

There are many games, goals and moments that stand out as great memories of Jess’ Aberdeen career. An early stand-out game amongst the 380 that Portsoy’s most famous son played for the club was a 4-1 victory over Dunfermline at East End Park. I remember listening to the match on the radio in the afternoon desperately wishing I was watching the game in person as Jess ran riot with four goals.

The match was to be the featured game on that night’s Sportscene. Younger readers may not realise that you only got highlights of one match on a Saturday night episode of Sportscene! By the time the highlights started I had already read the match report in the Green Final at least once.

Jess’ second goal in that game is one my favourites of his. Collecting the ball inside his own half, carrying it forward with that distinctive running style before completing a one-two with Hans Gillhaus. As Jess entered the box, he delayed his shot just enough for both the defender and keeper to commit themselves before rolling the ball into the corner of the net. Brilliant.

There are simply too many fantastic goals in the Jess back catalogue to mention all of them. He is undoubtedly one of the most naturally gifted players I’ve ever been lucky enough to see in a red shirt. It wasn’t just on the pitch where Jess’ showed his class. In February of 1996 Jess moved to Coventry City for £2million. He could’ve held on until the summer of that season and left for free on the Bosman rule.

The player made the decision that he wanted Aberdeen to receive a fee for his services and rather than waiting until summer to leave for free, Jess informed the club he wanted to move earlier so the game would get some money for his departure.

Jess played 18 times from Scotland, a tally which should have been far higher for a player of his quality. He lifted three trophies in his time with the club and it was on the way to the third of those cup wins that he provided another memorable moment.

His keepie-uppies in the League Cup semi-final over Rangers was a flash of impudence that still lives in the minds of Dons fans. To go to Glasgow in a semi-final and beat Rangers is one thing, but to have the confidence and swagger to juggle the ball on the touch-line was something else. A throwback to the attitude Ferguson’s early 80’s side showed on their visits to the west coast.

Jess was recently inducted into the AFC Hall of Fame and he was also previously voted on to the fans’ all-time greatest Aberdeen team. A player capable of genius on the pitch that delivered so many magical moments for us fans to enjoy. I believe Eoin lives in Barcelona now and it’s probably fitting that he resides in a city that has hosted someone of the world’s best footballers. A true club legend and a player that will always feel like a young player in my mind, despite reaching the big 5-0. My first football hero, cheers Eoin.