I recently had the pleasure of once again hosting the club’s annual Player of the Year awards, a brilliant night with over 700 guests in attendance at the Exhibition Centre.
The behind-the-scenes staff at Pittodrie do a superb job in pulling it all together – no mean feat I can assure you – and the fans and sponsors who bought tables all seemed to enjoy the occasion.
For the last couple of years we’ve had silverware to put on show; the League Cup in 2014 and the Development League Championship trophy last season, but while that was lacking this time round, it didn’t in any way put a dampener on the evening.
It’s a night when supporters get the chance to mingle with the players and management, to get selfies and autographs, and it was pleasing to see Derek, Tony, their back-up team and the whole squad all happily meet every request.
Aside from the fans, it’s a chance for the club to put on a show for the loyal sponsors who back the club year in, year out. All the categories are supported by local businesses, and I’ve come to recognise the names of individuals and companies very well, and to make friends with some who have put significant sums of money into AFC. Special praise should go to Martyn Watts of Universal Inspection (UK) Ltd who has sponsored the PotY in each of the five seasons since it was re-launched. Without the support of him and the many others who buy into the club, it would be so much tougher for us to compete at the top level of Scottish football as we have done in recent years.
As you’ll know by now, Jonny Hayes emulated Adam Rooney in 2015 by scooping all three main awards, topping the fans and players polls, and bagging goal of the season for his sensational strike against Celtic in February.
It was a richly deserved accolade for a man who has hit top form for much of the campaign. He has, for me, been our most consistent performer by a distance, albeit well backed-up by a number of his team-mates.
Graeme Shinnie and Shay Logan also made the short list for Player of the Year, Adam would certainly have been up there if he hadn’t had his campaign ended prematurely by injury, and Danny Ward would clearly have been a strong contender had Liverpool not unexpectedly recalled him from his loan spell.
Others have shown their worth in spells – our league position could not have been achieved without a host of players hitting their peak regularly – but haven’t perhaps maintained those levels for long enough to have been genuine contenders on awards night.
I had the opportunity to chat to quite a few of the guys and the one thing that shines through is an unquenchable team spirit, much of it underpinned by the black humour of the dressing-room. They are a tightly-knit group and clearly share a bond which is reminiscent of the attitude held by the Gothenburg Greats. They’re constantly winding each other up, but it’s done with affection, an understanding that they’re all in it together, and that will have played a massive part in the growth of the club in recent seasons.
If Derek can keep that squad together, adding yet more quality in key positions, there is no reason why we cannot continue to improve, to challenge at the very top, in the seasons ahead.
If Derek can keep that squad together, adding yet more quality in key positions, there is no reason why we cannot continue to improve, to challenge at the very top, in the seasons ahead.
