GLAD TO BE OF ASSISTANCE

With the final five fixtures still to play, this has already been an epic campaign for the Dons. The win last weekend cemented European qualification before the split which, in itself is a huge achievement, whilst the runners-up slot could be secured before the Dons even travel to play Inverness CT this Saturday.

Such excellence arises, primarily, from a team ethic. No individual is more important than the group, everyone works to the betterment of the side, whatever sacrifices they might have to make on a personal basis.

Take Niall McGinn for instance. Go back two seasons and he was our Adam Rooney, smashing in goals all over the place, 21 for the season, making him very much the man everyone was talking about. But the Dons ended the season languishing in the bottom half, rubbing all the shine off any personal glory.

With the arrival of Derek McInnes, Niall’s role in the team altered, from goal getter to goal maker and while that might not win him so many newspaper headlines, Niall has been instrumental in the Dons winning many more points. With an extraordinary 18 assists to his credit thus far this season, his contribution could hardly be any greater. It’s a statistic that understandably gives him a great sense of satisfaction.

“The most important thing is that we win games. To set up goals that do that is a nice feeling of course, it’s as pleasing as actually scoring the goals themselves, but only if we go on and get the results we need. We’ve been doing that for the last couple of years now and it’s a great thing to be a part of.”

With the Dons on the brink of qualifying for the Europa League and with second place in the offing too, you might think that the job is done but from within the changing room, there is no appetite for letting up now as the side chase a strong end to the season.

“If we secure second spot it will be a massive achievement. The amount of points we have racked up even at this stage of the season and with the number we still have to play for, we could get to an impressive total.

“What is encouraging is that we have improved on last season. This is a very professional set up and we continuously want to improve, we want to win more trophies and so we want to set down a marker for next season now. The cups have been disappointing this season, but that can happen in knockout competitions unfortunately. But our consistency in the league has been exceptional.

“The manager has really drummed the need for consistency into us. My first season here, we had some good results but were very inconsistent, we didn’t put many runs together. Last season, there was a massive improvement and there is an even bigger improvement this season.

“I think the key things have been keeping a good shape, scoring goals when we have been on top of teams and killing games off.

Keeping clean sheets has also been very important. If you keep a clean sheet, you have always got a chance. We have been working hard on all these things behind the scenes and that has shown in our performances.

“We have also got a great squad. We have been fortunate that we have not had many injuries and so everyone is fighting for positions. The manager has definitely done his homework on the players he has signed, everyone has fitted in as a player and as a person. He also has us training the right way and working the right way. It has been a great team effort from the manager down to the coaches and then the players and the backroom staff.”

What has been especially impressive about the Dons this season has been their ability to stay the course given that there was such a short break after last term as this campaign started so early with the Europa League qualifiers. And for some, there were even internationals to play at the end of last season…

“You get used to it! These are the things that come with success so you have to welcome them. You want to be playing in Europe, so you don’t really mind coming back early. Once you get the taste for Europe, you want more of it so we want to be doing the same next year as well, though hopefully we can finish second and give ourselves an extra bit of time in the summer.

“I went to South America with Northern Ireland Iast year and in June this year we have a big Euro qualifier against Romania so I am certainly not complaining! You work it out so that you get your rest when you need it. Last summer, I was only off for a couple of weeks so it meant when I came back, I did not need to do as much pre-season work. It was just a case of getting my sharpness back.

“The manager has been very good at monitoring my situation. If I need an extra day off here or there, he will give it to me. Our sports scientist has all the data so again, the manager can monitor each player and work out who needs a rest or who needs extra work. As a player, there is a time to go away and recharge the batteries and then there is a time to get the game head on and get into the hard work again.”

Mention of Northern Ireland inevitably brings us to the stirrings of what is shaping up to be an epic campaign for the men in green, with the very real possibility that they might be heading to the European Championships for the first time ever next summer. They play Romania in Belfast in June, before next season they head to the Faroes, entertain Hungary and end the group with a visit from Greece and a trip to Finland. There is real optimism over how things might pan out over the next few months.

“There is a real buzz about the whole place. We can’t start getting carried away, but the performances have been very good. Looking at the campaign before it started, three of the first four games were away from home. It was a difficult start, so to get nine points out of twelve in the first four games was unbelievable.

“In the first game away to Hungary, we were a goal down but came back and won 2-1. I scored that night. We then went and beat Greece in their own backyard. We backed that up by beating Finland at home recently, so that set us up nicely for the final five games.

“As I say, no one is getting carried away but you would rather be up at the top of the group than down the bottom. There is a lot for us to play for and another couple of wins would put us in a very strong position. We have to concentrate on getting as many points as we can and see where it takes us.

“We have Romania next in June which is going to be a massive game and then we have a couple of double headers in September and October. Romania are top of the group by one point. If we lose, it would not be the end of the world, we would still have other games next season, but we have a chance to go to the top of the group and we will be looking to do that.

“There is still a lot of football to be played. We know how good Greece are and how good they are at qualifying for all the major tournaments in recent years. It is surprising how slowly they have started, but we could maybe do with them picking up a few wins now which would help us.

“We are in a good place and the dream is definitely still on. It is good they have changed the format this time around so that the first two teams qualify and there is also a spot for the best third team place as well, that does give smaller nations a genuine chance to progress.

“We’ve made some good strides forward and Michael O’Neill deserves a lot of credit. The manager has been brilliant since he came in. The performances have always been there, it is just now we are at the stage where we are turning the good performances into results and thankfully that has coincided with this campaign.

“At international level you certainly need no motivation for the bigger games but when we were playing the smaller nations, the performance have just not been good enough. We have given away bad goals or not killed teams off when we have been on top.

“Since the manager came in he has been very positive and has us playing nice football. When we don’t have possession, we are working very hard off the ball to maintain a good shape and against a lot of teams, we look to counter attack against them. Everything has blended together and we are now getting results.

“The team spirit is brilliant too, but I think any nation should have that because it is a fantastic thing to play for your country. I remember growing up and watching David Healy scoring all those goals. There always seems to have been a great team spirit. Everyone gets on so well. There is always good crack when the team meets up. Everything is very positive. All the boys bond well and work hard for each other and good results come from that.

“I think it is good for myself and others who aren’t playing in the English Premiership to look up to players who are and to learn from the likes of Steven Davis, Chris Brunt, Jonny Evans, Gareth McAuley. They are good leaders but they do not think they are better than others. Everyone knows where they are from and everyone has been brought up well. Everyone is pushing in the same direction.”

The only thing that looks set to derail Northern Ireland at present is their stadium, Windsor Park. Building work has been ongoing as part of its redevelopment but it’s currently undergoing a structural survey after cracks appeared in the structure of the West Stand.

“There are concerns about it at the moment. They are renovating the whole place and there are a few problems. I am not sure what the situation is going to be for the next game. They may have to move the game to another stadium, which would be a disappointment because we are used to playing there, we are used to the environment, while other teams are not sure what they are in for.

“For a small stadium the atmosphere is incredible and the big international nights are very special. At the moment, you only have the two stands open but it feels like there are 40,000 there in the ground. The fans always get behind the team, regardless of whether we are winning or losing. Teams always struggle when they come to Windsor Park. That is something we take confidence from.”

Northern Ireland’s qualifying record is not the greatest, with just three World Cups to their credit – the last in 1986 – while they have never made it through to the European Championships. Could that be about to change? “It is nearly 30 years since Northern Ireland last qualified for a major tournament so for us to do it you would definitely go down in the history books. For a player to be part of that would be great. Growing up, you dream about playing in these major tournaments so if I ever got the opportunity to do so, it would be unbelievable.

“As a professional footballer you go and play week in week out for your club, you enjoy doing well in the league, you enjoy cups runs, you enjoy playing in Europe. As an international player, you want to play in major competitions. It is something that everyone watches.

“I was born in 1987 so I have never seen them play in a World Cup or European Championships during my lifetime. I have seen Gerry Armstrong’s goal against Spain in 1982 many times and it is a moment that has been talked and talked about for years. It would be great for everyone in the country if we could get there next summer”.

Finally, back to the Dons and it’s the time of the season when the player of the year awards start being given out. As a former winner here at Pittodrie, who does Niall fancy to pick up the gongs this time around?

“It’s a really tough one. From one end of the pitch to the other, a lot of players have done very well and have been very consistent. Both of the ‘keepers have been getting clean sheets, the defenders have been good, the midfielders have been solid and have also created chances and the forward players have scored their goals. There are a lot of players in the running for the awards and it will be interesting to see who wins. I am debating on two or three players myself.

“As for goal of the season, I will hopefully have one or two nominations in there!”

To vote for your goal of the season please click here

To vote for your goal of the season please click here