When Chloe Gover was named in the starting XI at the beginning of November for Aberdeen Women’s SWPL fixture against Motherwell at the Balmoral, the defender/midfielder/winger/goalkeeper (delete where appropriate) made her own piece of AFC history, overtaking her former teammate Eilidh Shore to become the all-time leading appearance maker for Aberdeen FC Women.

Someone who has been there right from the beginning, Chloe has put in the hard yards over the years, featuring in whatever position is needed, something that is testament to her dedication to the cause – her 146^th appearance enough to move her to the very top of the appearance tree.

Amongst the near 150 appearances there has been league title wins, history making nights at Pittodrie, and even 90 minutes as a goalkeeper in Glasgow.

It was only fair that we let Chloe pick out her most memorable moments from her time in red so far…

It all starts at the Sports Village – 10 February 2019.

At just 19 years old Chloe was in from the start to play 90 minutes in AFC Women’s first ever fixture as part of the club at home to Inverness at the Sports Village, the original home of the side. Running out 5-1 winners on the day, a memorable debut was capped off with a Gover penalty five minutes from the end to put the icing on the cake of a perfect start.

“I was playing for AFC ladies from when I was 11, and I made it to the first team when I was 16. I don’t remember too much from the very start – we were at the Sports Village, playing on the grass pitch. It wasn’t great! I remember when we got invited down to Pittodrie to get our photos taken, and it felt real, it felt like a big deal. It was exciting. I don’t remember too much from the Inverness game, but I remember scoring! I wouldn’t forget that.”

Also on the scoresheet that day, Bayley Hutchison and Eilidh Shore. Prior to both departing for Hearts in the Summer of 2024, the three made up quite the core trio for many a year.

“It’s quite special; there was a core group that came on the whole journey. It’s a shame they’ve left now, but for so long, there were three of us who had been there from the start, and they were very, very important for to the team.”

After back-to-back relegations for the then AFC ladies side, the newly formed AFCW started life in the SWFL Division One North League, the third tier of Women’s football in Scotland. For the new group, their maiden voyage was entirely smooth sailing all the way.

“I had played the two seasons where we got relegated twice. It was tough, so we didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t expect that first season as part of the club to be as easy as it was. Looking back at the scores, there were a lot of big wins: 6-0, 7-0. After a few games, I think we could sort of tell we’d be quite comfortable.”

AFCW clinch the SWPL2 title – 27 June 2021.

There isn’t a massive pool of players who can say they were able to hold aloft a league trophy while representing Aberdeen, but Chloe and her teammates managed to achieve exactly that when they got their hands on the SWPL2 trophy after another flawless campaign.

The side had achieved their initial objective – get back into the topflight as quickly as possible. It was a special time, as Chloe was happy to recall.

“It got to a point where we were always going to win the league. SWPL 2 was really good for us. There were a lot of great teams in there, but we did really well. We won the leagues with lots of games to spare. We beat Dundee United away from home to confirm we were champions. It was essentially “win this game, and it’s over.” We won 5-2, I started the game. I think I played on the wing in that game, we got a few goals, and we sealed it in style. It was something I will always remember.”

The title winning campaign seemed to be bookended by important wins over Dundee United.

“I remember the first game of the season, we played Dundee United at Cormack Park, and we scored a 92^nd minute winner to win 4-3. That set the tone for the season.”

Maybe the only thing more enjoyable than knowing you’ve won the league is actually the moment where you can finally get your hands on that all-important piece of silverware. Back at the Balmoral on trophy day to take on Boroughmuir, it was another special day in a season of special moments.

“Trophy day was brilliant. Obviously, we had won the league the season before, but this felt different. I had my family there; it was a special day.”

The Women make their Pittodrie bow – 23 March 2022.

Now an SWPL1 side and back in the promised land, the next natural step for Chloe and her teammates was to take to the hallowed Pittodrie turf for their first ever game at the home of the Dons. In March 2022, what had only previously been a dream became a reality, and the side played in front of a near 1900 strong crowd. The opposition on the night? Top of the league Rangers…

“Playing that first-ever game at Pittodrie was something I never, ever, thought would happen. It was a bit of a shock when we found out it was happening, especially since we’d be playing Rangers, which is a big game. We lost 2-0, but it was a very good performance, and we could’ve scored a few ourselves. Against a full-time team, that was a good result.”

“We knew it was going to be tough, but the fans really got behind us and helped. It was something I will never forget. The nerves building up to it was so intense. I was so nervous the whole day. Even during the warm-up, when everyone was cheering, I’d never experienced that before.”

Since that night against Rangers, the side have played at Pittodrie two more times, defeating Glasgow Women in 2022/2023, and drawing with Montrose in a 3-3 classic the following season.

It will come as absolutely no surprise that Chloe started both of those games.

“I know how lucky I am to experience that three times, hopefully we can do it again so everyone can experience it, get a big crowd along, and try and inspire the young girls that it can be them one day.”

A shift in between the sticks at Rangers – 1 February 2023

In February 2023 Chloe’s willingness to do whatever is needed for the cause was shown as clear as ever when she answered a late, late call to start a league game away at Rangers – as the goalkeeper.

An enjoyable sight in football is when an outfielder is forced to don the gloves, wear a goalkeeper shirt with someone else’s name on it and awkwardly fumble around, normally only ever for a small portion of a game in the event of a late red card after one too many substitutes has been made.

For Chloe, she was in from the start. At Broadwood. Against Rangers. A tougher challenge you would struggle to find.

“It was a midweek game. We didn’t have a sub keeper because people were working or at school. I only just made the bus myself; I had to run away from work early. During the warm-up, Annalisa hurt her shoulder and couldn’t play. The goalkeeper coach came up and said, “Chloe, I think we need you to go in goal.” He’d seen me messing about in training before, and I said yes—I just wanted to do my best for the team. I was actually supposed to be on the bench, so I was happy to be playing!”

There was to be no miracle story for the side who fell to a 4-1 defeat, but on a night where the odds couldn’t have been more against them, there was a sense of pride.

“They did score a backheel against me, but I was happy with my performance! The team performed really well defensively, knowing I wasn’t a keeper. I couldn’t ask for more. I didn’t want to embarrass myself, but also the pressure was off: I am not a goalie! I remember it being very cold standing there, it wasn’t for me. Once the game started, I was focussed. Rangers had a lot of shots, so I was kept busy. I remember there was a lot of goal kicks – every one I just launched up the pitch, I wasn’t taking any chances playing out! We were the first team to score against Rangers from open play that season, so it was actually a positive night.”

A record-breaking night at the Balmoral – 6 November 2024

Although the result wasn’t what the Dons were looking for on the night, there is no taking away from the achievement Chloe made on a typically bitterly cold Balmoral evening, something she quite rightly looks back on with immense pride.

“It was special. I can’t believe I have the record. I knew I wasn’t far from Eilidh, but I didn’t realise I was so close to the record: I had no idea! It was a really proud moment.”

“The coaches have put so much trust in me to get to that point, playing so many positions. I’m versatile, I can play in a lot of positions, so like I say I will play anywhere, as long as I get to play. Maybe once Maddie is back from her injury I will get back into midfield. I want to play as long as possible. I will keep playing until I’m told to go.”

The journey is made possible by those who have been around Gover, which she is quick to point out. The influence of both Emma Hunter and Clint Lancaster is sizable.

“It has been a special journey. With Emma, I’ve known her for a long time. She gave me a lot of game time, which built my confidence, I got a lot of goals under her. I need to thank her for the trust she placed in me. Clint was great too; he is a brilliant coach. When he came in, he told me I’d be playing centre back. I was shocked and thought it wouldn’t work, but he taught me so much about the position. We reviewed a lot of footage, and he spent a lot of time on the analysis and worked on improving my game, and by the end, I was very comfortable. Clint coming in full-time was a big jump. He could do so much in the background; it was really exciting.”

There is a new dawn on the horizon with Scott Booth beginning to get settled into life back in the North-East as the new gaffer. It was a bumpy start for the new manager, with a couple of difficult defeats to contend with as he got to grips with his new side, but after a few important wins and a first ever place in a cup semi-final secured, things are looking bright.

“Playing under Scott so far has been great. It’s only been a few weeks, but I’m excited to see where this goes. He has a different vision, and once we fully understand his style, I think we’ll do well. I think we will be able to kick on. He is clearly a great manager, with great success and plenty of experience, so he will help us a lot.”

“It’s crazy to think I’m one of the most experienced players at 24. It feels like I’ve been here forever! I try to help the younger players like the older ones that helped me when I started. I learnt so much off of Kelly Forrest and Loren Campbell, their experience was invaluable for me. I am so grateful for that.”

“Looking ahead, I want to stay here as long as possible. My contract runs until October next year, so we’ll see what Scott’s plans are. We need to be ambitious – I think we can win trophies, why not. This season, we are excited about the semi-final. In the league, we just need to pick up as many points we can and stay away from the drop. If we focus on ourselves, we can do that.”

“I want to be a part of it for as long as I can.”