Aberdeen v Hamilton Accies programme

In Saturday’s RedMatchday magazine there is an exclusive in-depth interview with Danny Rogers.

“It did start to cross my mind that I would be the longest serving Aberdeen player to have never played! It was not something that overly worried me, but I did start to wonder if it would ever come. Finally it did and I felt I did alright.

“To put it into some kind of context, I am the only one from my age group who is left at the club. Those included Craig Murray, Stephen O’Neill, Ryan Fraser, Jack Grimmer, Declan McManus, Jamie Masson, Jordan Brown, Mitch Megginson, Joe Shaughnessy. A lot of them have gone on and done well for themselves. Some of them made their debuts a long time ago, so it has been a long time coming!

“I felt that I was ready to play. The loan spells at Dumbarton and Falkirk had been great for me but this season, since I have been back, working with Gordon Marshall and Joe Lewis, I feel that I have improved so much.

“Joe sets such a high standards and Gordon sets high demands too. That really pushes you on. If I saw Joe doing something at the start of the season and I could not do it, I have pushed myself over the past few months to be able to do it. It has really pushed me on and I feel like I have got a lot better.”

There is also an interview with Dominic Ball.

“Sometimes, the competition for places is very tough, especially at a big club like this. You only need to look at our midfield three; you have three guys who were in the last Scotland squad. That competitiveness is only going to challenge me and make me a better player, which is why I joined. I have not played as much as I wanted so far but in the second half of the season, I am really looking to push on.

“Any moment your opportunity can come and you have to be ready. Maybe earlier in the season, I wasn’t completely ready and until last Saturday, I really did not have the chance to put that right.”

Plus, Scott McKenna, Michael Devlin, Anthony O’Connor poster, there is a Q&A with David Dangana and as usual there are interviews with Derek McInnes and Graeme Shinnie.

Our columnists this week are:

Richard Gordon The news that Dons legend and club record goal-scorer, Joe Harper, was celebrating his 70th birthday the other week stopped me in my tracks. Joe was, alongside Bobby Clark and Arthur Graham, one of my first Aberdeen heroes and the first Dons player it became my privilege to get to know on a personal basis. I think of Joe, and I smile.

I see him in the strip he wore during the 1970 Scottish Cup Final, socks rolled down to his ankles, celebrating with two-goal hero Derek McKay after the surprise 3-1 win over Jock Stein’s mighty Celtic; I see him in the next Dons strip with the v-neck insert and collar, his sideburns grown and his hair worn longer in the fashion of the time; I see him in the Admiral strip with the five white stripes down the left side; and in each of those I see him smashing the ball into the net time after time and sliding to his knees, arms raised, as he joyfully soaked up the adulation of a euphoric Beach End or Paddock.

Chris Crighton In a sport which can sometimes become formulaic as a result of risk-averse coaches prioritising ‘controlling the controllables’, it is those inspired moments in which something absolutely unforeseeable happens that provide the wonderful thrills which keep us all hooked on this brilliant game. And when performed by players for whom those things are patently not in the job description, the variable of surprise is multiplied by such a factor as to elevate that high exponentially.

Ally Begg In the past couple of weeks we have been blessed as fans to witness two of the finest goals to grace Pittodrie in many a year. Gary Mackay-Steven’s strike against St Mirren in the Scottish Cup was one sheer class, to find the top corner from a relatively acute angle was nothing short of brilliance. At first I preferred that strike over Scott McKenna’s thunderbolt against Kilmarnock last weekend simply due to the angle and nature of finish but having watched Scott’s goal over and over again my opinion has swayed. I don’t really have the words to express how sensational that goal was. To strike the ball as cleanly as he did, for it to gather pace en route to goal, to watch the reactions of Kenny McLean and Jamie MacDonald tells you everything you need to know about that goal, simply breathtaking!

Plus, the usual in-depth history section which includes a look back at the Eoin Jess goal collection and this week we feature February 1986.

Aberdeen came through a tough winter spell still looking for more success following their League Cup triumph earlier in the season. The Dons were on course to go far in the European Champions’ Cup after reaching the last eight before the end of the year. Manager Alex Ferguson had targeted success in the European Cup but with the league race going down to the wire and the Scottish Cup to reclaim after winning the cup three times in a row between 1982 and1984, these were busy days down Pittodrie way…

RedMatchday Magazine is prized at £3.00 and is available from the club shop and programme sellers from in and around the ground. You can also buy copies online by clicking here

RedMatchday Magazine is prized at £3.00 and is available from the club shop and programme sellers from in and around the ground. You can also buy copies online by clicking here