Scott Rumsby interview
Recently four young Dons players agreed loan deals in a bid to gain some valuable first team experience. Lawrence Shankland, who moved to Aberdeen last summer from Queens Park, moved to Dunfermline on a season long loan deal, midfielder Jamie Masson agreed to join League Two side Elgin City for the remainder of the season, Stephen O’Neill, who impressed at Peterhead earlier in the season, joined Gary Naysmith at East Fife and Scott Rumsby had his current loan deal with Stranraer extended. The management team are keen to get the youth team players out on loan as part of their footballing education. Earlier this season Danny Rogers was on loan at Airdrie, Craig Storie was on loan at Forfar and Declan McManus at Alloa.
The Dons this weekend will therefore have players involved in two of the other Scottish Cup ties as Dunfermline play Rangers and Stranraer are up against League Cup finalist opponents Inverness CT.
RedMatchday caught up with Scott Rumsby to find out how life was in Division Two and found he still bumps into a few familiar faces from time to time…
“I have not played against Danny or Jamie yet but I played against Lawrence a few ago. I made sure I left the boot in a few times! We won’t mention the fact he scored a late winner for them!
“My loan spell has been great so far. Getting the opportunity to play first team games has been massive for me. There is quite a bit of travelling involved, I don’t think you can get much further than the trip from Aberdeen to Stranraer! My mum and dad are in Glasgow but they come to every game and travel to all the u20 games around the country, including our home games at Peterhead. When I told them I was going out on loan, they probably thought it would be less travelling for them, until I told them I was away to Stranraer!
“But it is has been well worth it. I have really enjoyed it so far. It is a great club and everyone, the players, staff and fans, have made me very welcome and feel part of things. Stephen Aitken is the manager and his brother Chris actually plays for the team as well. He has played me in central defence though for some reason, a lot of the media reports have been calling me a full-back! When I first joined, I played in the number two shirt so that maybe confused some people. My mates all said it was coming up on Sky that I was a full-back but I have played every game in my natural position of centre-half.
“The standard of football is a step up from the U20 League, in between that and playing SPFL Premiership football. You don’t realise just how good the standard is in the lower leagues. There are a lot of really good players there.
“The games are obviously more physical than the youth league and you need to be tougher. The matches are also played at a higher tempo. I remember when I played my first game, I was surprised how knackered I was at the end of the game! I know from speaking to the other Aberdeen young boys who have played in the first team, they noticed that as well when they played. I also think the tiredness comes from the fact you put so much into the game. With all the fans there, you do not want to let them down. The commitment from the part-time players in the lower leagues is something Scott has learned to respect.
“It is not until you play with the part-time players that you understand just how much effort and commitment they put into their football. They all have jobs and most are working from Monday to Friday. Many jobs nowadays are not nine to five and some of the boys have to work nightshifts, then play on a Saturday. We train two nights a week, but I have learned that these guys are also in the gym at every other available opportunity. Anytime they get a spare couple of hours, they are in the gym doing something. They put some shift in.”
That commitment was taken to a new level by Scott’s central defensive partner Frank McKeown. Frank is a firefighter and was working on the 29 November 2013, when a police helicopter crashed into the Clutha Vaults, a pub on the north bank of the River Clyde in central Glasgow. Frank, along with 150 other firefighers, was part of the huge rescue operation at the disaster scene where 10 people died. After working through the night, and experiencing unimaginably horrific scenes, he finished work at 8am and, with only one hour’s sleep, Frank took his place in the Stranraer side against Clyde in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, which ended in a 1-1 draw. His efforts were not in vain; Stranraer won the replay 4-1 and will now be at home to Inverness CT in the fifth round this weekend.
“To experience what he did that night, only get a little sleep, yet still go and play for the team was incredible. I think even the gaffer was advising him to take the day off but he insisted on playing. He is the club captain. He played at a good level, he was with Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle. I have learned a lot from big Frank, on and off the park.” Scott was injured for the game against Clyde but will more than likely figure in the tie against Inverness. He has already had the experience of playing against an SPFL Premiership side whilst on loan, against Hibernian in the League Cup, and was also in the starting XI which drew 1-1 with Rangers at Ibrox on Boxing Day.
“The game against Hibernian in the League Cup was a brilliant experience. I think there was a crowd of about 8,000. I had a couple of unfortunate moments in the game as I scored an own goal and gave a penalty away but I did not leave the stadium that night regretting anything. I enjoyed the experience and apart from the two incidents, I thought I did quite well, I had an ok game. It put me in good stead for the game at Ibrox.
“We went there to give it our best shot. We were going to give everything. Of course we went out to play for a result but at the back of your mind you are thinking what are the chances of getting something here? The tactical plan was to make sure when they had the ball we had two solid banks of four and to keep the game in front of us. I was up against Jon Daly and Nicky Clark. I think I actually joined Aberdeen the season Nicky left Pittodrie so I had not seen him play before but we were obviously aware of how many goals he scored last season for Queen of the South so we knew he would be a threat. We just dug in and managed to get a late goal – it was a brilliant feeling. Absolutely brilliant.
“To play in front of that many people takes a bit of getting to when you do it for the first time. You are nervous at first, but after about ten minutes you forget about the crowd and just get on with your game. You just concentrate on your job and settle into it”.
Like all the players out on loan Scott hopes his experiences will help him make it at Pittodrie.
“When you go out on loan you are never quite sure what will happen. Sometimes you worry that you will be forgotten about. I spoke to the manager and he put me at ease. He assured me it would not affect my Aberdeen career because that is my main focus, playing for the first team one day.
“I am out of contract at the end of the season so the next few months are very important to me. I need to knuckle down and hopefully get an extension. I will maybe have to go out on loan again to prove I can play at the top level. I look at Joe Shaughnessy who was out on loan a couple of times before he got his chance, and big Joe is doing great now.”
“I am out of contract at the end of the season so the next few months are very important to me. I need to knuckle down and hopefully get an extension. I will maybe have to go out on loan again to prove I can play at the top level. I look at Joe Shaughnessy who was out on loan a couple of times before he got his chance, and big Joe is doing great now.”
