Peter Pawlett

set to join the 100 club

Peter Pawlett will make his 100th appearance for Aberdeen the next time he steps out onto the park in a red jersey, almost certainly to be against Motherwell on Boxing Day.

Go back a few seasons, to 2009, and try and recall the early emergence of Peter Pawlett in the Aberdeen side. A string of impressive performances were put in, rave notices were written, much was expected.

Then there came the inevitable inconsistency of youth, a few injuries too, and suddenly, people were questioning whether he would even make it. It’s enough to crush the spirit of any young footballer, but fortunately, Peter is made of sterner stuff.

Looking back at the ups and downs of recent times, the AFC Youth Academy product has become commendably philosophical about the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that have dogged him thus far.

…”I don’t think people expect too much from youngsters, I think it’s just the way the game is, it’s kind of natural in a way. When you first come into the team, you almost burst onto the scene and with that you get a lot of media coverage and everyone is generally very positive about you. You also have novelty value because you are new to the fans.

…”Then it’s almost as if you are forgotten because maybe you are not in the team every week and someone else comes along and gets the headlines. Of course you are not forgotten but that is how it feels. You have just got to get on with it, get your head down and work hard and not focus on anything negative.

…”For me personally a lot of people said I would be ‘the next big thing’ but then I suffered quite a few injuries and I lost my way a bit. All that got in the way and knocked my confidence.

…”When you are not playing week in week out it does knock your confidence and you start questioning yourself. Also when you are not playing every week it can affect your fitness, and it certainly did in my case.

…”I think the biggest difference between me this season and a couple of years ago is the fact that I have had a consistent run of games and that is the main reason for my form. I have a manager that believes in me and allows me to go out and express myself. That is a major factor.

…”I also think I have also matured as a person. I know I cannot be classified as a young player any more. Going out on loan helped me grow up a bit as well.”

You can read the full exclusive interview in RedMatchday Issue 10. For more information please click here