In this week’s 84 page RedMatchday Magazine….

Peter Pawlett

“The aim for me this season is to score more goals. I do feel that in the role I play, I can get in amongst the goals and I maybe should have chipped in with a few more than I actually have. I would like to get my goal tally into double figures.

“That is something the manager has spoken to me about and it is something I will be aiming to do. Last season’s target was the most I have had in a season – seven – and some of them were important goals in big games. I have two already this season and hopefully I can get a good number more plus some assists as well. It is something I am working on. Every day in training, I practice my finishing. I know I need to work on my right foot as all my goals were with my left foot!

“I also know that I need to keep working hard to improve my overall game. Just because I have had one good season, it does not mean anything. As I said last season, I feel I have been doing alright. I feel I am starting to show people what I am capable of, but it is only a start. Hopefully there is still a lot more to come from me.” With success comes different challenges though and as one of the most dangerous players in the division last term, Peter knows that this season, clubs will be formulating fresh plans to stop him in his tracks. Already this season, he is having to come to terms with being man marked.

“A few teams have put players on me this season. St Johnstone had someone follow me around the pitch. That is something I have spoken to the management team about. They told me that I am going to have to adapt my game and it definitely is something I am going to have to learn to cope with. I am going to have to start making some different runs and try to get away from my marker.

“I guess it is nice that clubs are showing me that much respect. I take it as a compliment. Although if I have a few bad games, it might very quickly take their attention away from me!”   Russell Anderson

“September is proving to be a frustrating month for me unfortunately after having an operation on my knee after picking up an injury at St Johnstone. When I came off in that game we were hoping it wasn’t going to be anything too serious and that it would settle down quickly but it soon became obvious that I was going to have to go under the knife to sort the problem out.

“That means that I’m looking to miss out on the games through September, which is particularly frustrating with this run of four games coming inside 11 games at Pittodrie. It’s a particularly busy schedule between the international breaks with us having six games to play in that time, all of them important ones as we look to try to move back up the table and to get into the next round of the League Cup. That means that there will be plenty asked of the squad over that period, so it is particularly frustrating not to be able to play a part in any of them and to help the side in these games.

“Although the league table doesn’t look as we would want it to at this point, there is still very little to choose between the teams in this division, while if we are able to win our game in hand on most of the league, that will also help put us right back in the mix at the right end of the table.

“The important thing at this point is just to take one game at a time as the cliché says, because if we start getting ahead of ourselves, you can easily get yourselves into trouble. That was the way we approached last season, and it worked pretty well for us then, so it is the only sensible approach to take this term too.

Derek McInnes

“Although we have produced some good football and a few good results, when compared with what we achieved last season, our league campaign hasn’t quite taken off as yet. These are still very early days in the season of course and there is plenty of time for us to put things right, but the sooner we do that the better. “As well as beginning the defence of the League Cup against Livingston, we have league games against Ross County, Inverness Caley Thistle and St Mirren to come in that period and we will be targeting a very strong points haul from those games to start lifting us back up the table.

“Four home games in such a short period is difficult, especially for paying spectators who are being asked to come to a lot of games in quick succession. We are aware of the sacrifices that so many of you make to come to watch Aberdeen, especially in times like this, and we want to reward you with some good performances and good results. We have to look at these four games as an opportunity for us to move up the league table and move into the next round of the League Cup, so that when we get to the end of the month, things are looking much more the way we want them to.”

Plus articles from all our usual columnists including Richard Gordon, there is an interview with David Goodwillie and a feature on ex Don and County player Scott Morrison, the usual in-depth history section, a club news section with all the latest on what is happening behind the scenes at your club and a world football section with stories and opinions on the game.

How to Buy

RedMatchday 06 is available from the programme sellers in and around the ground. It is on sale now from the AFC Club Shop and you can also buy a copy online by clicking here.

Feedback

We always welcome your feedback. Let us know what you think about the new look programme or what you would like to see included in future editions. You can contact the programme editor at redtv@afc

We always welcome your feedback. Let us know what you think about the new look programme or what you would like to see included in future editions. You can contact the programme editor at redtv@afc