A look at what is in the Aberdeen v Partick Thistle programme

The RedMatchday team have been hard at work over the past few weeks producing two bumper editions for the festive period.

In Wednesday night’s RedMatchday Magazine there are interviews with:

Frank Ross

“The gaffer likes my confidence. He likes the fact I am always looking for the ball. He is always telling me to be brave. Even if the game is not going our way or I am not playing well, I need to keep looking for the ball and trying to make things happen. “The biggest difference between the first team and the U20s is the pace of the game. It is such a quicker game than the 20s. that is something I need to work on. I need to work on my sharpness and also my stamina but hopefully that will come with playing more games at that level.

Graeme Shinnie

“Looking back across the year, the stats for 2017 are very impressive and they highlight the progress that is being made at the club.

“At the start of the year, we were in a good position league wise. We did well to win the battle for second spot and to get to the cup final. There was a big turnover of players in the summer and a lot of new faces coming in, but we have managed to maintain our consistency in terms of results.

“Saying that there’s a slight tinge of disappointment with the first half of the season because we still haven’t hit massive heights, not consistently. We haven’t been as good as we think we can be. On the positive side, we have been grinding out results and that shows what we are all about. The better you do the higher the expectation levels are but that is what happens in football. Nobody has higher expectation levels that the players.”

Harlain Mbayo

“I grew up in Belgium. I moved there from the Congo when I was about two and stayed there until I was about ten. I can’t remember a whole lot about growing up there. I played for Anderlecht from the age of eight until family moved to England. They are a huge club in Belgium. My brother also played for them, he was a pro there when he was 17. I went there because of him.

“Back then I was a striker. It’s only more recently I’ve been converted to a central defender. Because of that, I still like to score the odd goal and chip in with some assists during the season.

“I still have a lot of family back in the Congo but my immediate family are back in Hendon in North London.

“I would not say it is hard being away from my family. Yes, of course I miss them. But at the end of the day it is a choice I have made. You miss certain things like birthdays and a few weddings. But hopefully the sacrifice and hard work will pay off in the end. A choice between a wedding and long career at Aberdeen, I know what I would pick?

There are interviews with Manager Derek McInnes and U20 coach Paul Sheerin who looks back at successful first half of the season for his Development side. Also there is a Q&A with Dean Campbell and Joe Lewis picks his all time England XI. Plus the usual in-depth history and stat sections.

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