Part of the club’s footballing strategy is to promote from within and give the players from the Youth Academy a chance in the first team. Calvin Ramsay has shown the wisdom of that decision and has already set the standards that other young players need to aspire to.
A little while back, Calvin sat down and spoke to Mal Panton about his career to date.

There’s not an award for assist of the season, but your cross from earlier in the campaign against Dundee United must be up there?

Probably! I knew if I dummied my marker, Mark Reynolds, I would get past him, so I tried it and thankfully it came off. Then I just whipped in a ball for Christian Ramirez, and he scored. It was an amazing feeling when I saw the ball hit the net.

You don’t want to go into a big match and not play your own game. My game is to be creative by producing skills and crosses. That’s why for years in the Academy, I’ve been out night after night, practicing these skills.
My next target is to get a goal for the first team. That would be amazing, especially as Jack has one!

You and Jack, do you help each other?

We try and push each other as much as we can. We are both good mates and we just want to see each other go as far as possible, so in training we’re always doing extra work together.

What instructions has the manger given you this season?

He tells me to just go out and express myself. Don’t be concerned with having fans back in the ground, and don’t feel nervous. Just go out and try my best. The gaffer has been really good with me.

He has helped me understand you can’t get carried away when you’re doing well and likewise if you don’t have a great game you can’t get to down because that will affect your confidence. You just need to try and keep a level head. If you don’t play well, make sure you go into training determined to show what you can do and work extra hard so you can put it right on the field the following week.

The fact you take corners shows the faith the manager has in you?

It’s obviously a big responsibility to take the corners and some of the free kicks as well. I’ve been practicing them a lot to make sure they’re perfect! During training, Allan Russell spends a lot of time working on the set pieces and we do different routines to try and get them right so we can score goals.

How have you found it playing in front of crowds?

It was hard because last season, there were no crowds, and it did not really feel like a first team game for me. Since the crowds have come back, obviously it feels like a proper game. I think I’ve handled it quite well. I’ve tried to not focus on it and play my own game.

Running out at Pittodrie in the European games was an amazing experience. As a young boy, that is what you dream of. It’s nerve wracking to start with but as soon as the whistle goes, I just focus on what is happening on the field and try to play the best I can. I do really appreciate the support I have had from the fans. They have helped me a lot and given me a huge boost.

What is the first Aberdeen game you remember watching as a fan?

One of them was a Dundee United away game in 2012. I can’t remember the score, but Kari Arnason scored the winner late on and it was a screamer. It was one of my first Aberdeen games and I still remember it well.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career?

My dad played a huge part when I was younger. He would always tell me to go out and just enjoy my football. He would also tell me not to get too above myself. He helped to keep me grounded and he worked me very hard. He has had a massive influence on me.

I would like to thank all my Youth Academy coaches too. I still hear from many of them, they send me messages congratulating me on how I have been performing. They have all helped me in their own way and played a part in helping me to get to where I am now.

Andrew Considine helped coach you at U16 level. What was that like?

He was very good, really positive with all the boys and he knew what he was talking about because he is such a brilliant professional, he’s been there and done it. He really helped us. He was a very good coach and I really enjoyed working with him. I grew up watching him. To then play alongside him was amazing.

Going back to the last season, how beneficial was it playing those games towards the end of the campaign?

It helped me gain a lot of confidence. I’d been in training with the first team quite a lot, so I felt as though I was ready to play some games. When I got that chance to play in the first game under Paul Sheerin, I tried to take my chance as well as I could. I think I did well.

This time last year was such an uncertain time for you and for all young footballers. Basically you went a year without playing football. How tough was that?

It was tough because we were at home and not getting any game time. I just didn’t know what was going to happen next for me because I didn’t know when my next game was and when I could impress again. I was just trying to do as much as I could when I was at home, going for runs and trying to keep myself ticking over and be as fit as I possibly could be under the circumstances.

Has the break from football affected your development?

I don’t think it affected me that much. I was still training when I was home and trying to keep to the same standard that we would be training at the club.

Coming back for pre-season, did you have a different mindset because you were now a first team player?

Having had a taste of it, I wanted to break into the first team. I didn’t really want to be playing reserve football. My main aim was to try and get into the first team, so I just came back and trained as hard as I could so I would make an impression.

When you prepare for a game, do you have a set routine that you try and follow?

Not really. I just try and get a good night’s sleep, make sure I’m drinking plenty of fluids and just try and focus on the game as much as possible. I have no superstitions, not yet anyway!

What do you do away from Cormack Park?

I play a bit of Xbox – Call of Duty, that type of thing. And I’ve got my dog, so I take him for a few walks every day. I got him about five months ago, so that keeps me busy!

Has life changed for you at all?

When I go out and about there’s maybe a few more people recognising me and stuff like that, but I just try to keep my head down and not try and get caught up in all that. I keep focused on where I want to get to.