2015/16 was another marathon season – aren’t they all these days? – one that began with another decent tilt at the Europa League and ended with us consolidating our position as Celtic’s only real challengers on the domestic front.

With players heading off to the airport for a brief break before it all kicks off again, we grabbed a word with Ash Taylor on the last eleven months of work.

“It has been a very long season considering we’ve nearly been in for the whole year now. Last summer we were back on June 15th and we finished played on May 15th.

“When I first came up, I didn’t really know about how long the season was, because the summer before I came I had eight weeks off! Then I came up and the boys had three or four weeks and I was like, “Wow, what is that?!”

“The break, however long it is, is always important because you need to forget about football for a while and just rest up and recharge the batteries. It is important to get your rest, but it’s more about a mental rest than a physical one because obviously you just need to get away from it and reassess things. You have to look back at the season and how it went, where you are in your career.

“You need to clear your head too and think about the season as a whole. The last couple of weeks were disappointing. We should have finished the season off in the right manner, but overall, I thought it was very good and you have to look at it as that whole year not just the last couple of weeks.

“It was a difficult one at times, especially when we were going through that bad spell in October after such a good start, but we showed what type of squad we have to bounce back from that. You learn more and more everyday about what the squad is like and every week is a new challenge.

“The big thing is we are progressing and the experience of this year will stand us in good stead for next season. The gaffer’s done well, so have all the lads, we’re all going in the right direction, we’re all pulling the same way and want to be successful at the club. Hopefully next year we can bring a trophy back home.

“We know our form in the cups was not good enough. With the squad we have, we should be doing better in the cups and we’ll look to do that next year.

“My own personal form, I’ve had one or two games where I thought I could have done a lot better but I think I’ve been a lot more consistent this year and I’m quite pleased with my progression and the way things are going at the moment”.

Staying cooped up in the same dressing room through the ups and downs of a 11 month long season would sound like a recipe for disaster when you consider there are 20 or more grown men all fighting for the same 11 shirts. Yet the Aberdeen dressing room still seems a pretty harmonious place.

“That just shows the recruitment and what the gaffer’s done, he’s got the right blend of players and the right type of characters to have in the changing room, we’ve all mixed well. At some clubs, you tend to get fed up of some people if you’ve been with them the whole year but the lads have been great. Even Shay! Only joking, he is not a bad lad! We are all delighted he is staying. You need characters like him around the place.”

European football is almost upon us already and it was the Europa League that provided Ash with his highlight of last term.

“I always enjoyed the European games. Rijeka was a big highlight, probably one of the best away victories we’ve had. I think we were the only team to beat them at home all season, which highlights just how good a result it was.

“The start to the game was very tough. It hit us by surprise because obviously the conditions were just absolutely roasting and we were getting absolutely battered for 20 minutes. Then we had the water break and we just regrouped and Andy scored his header and we just went on from there. It was probably one of the best counter attacking performances you’ll see for a while.

“The Celtic games here were also memorable especially the way the crowd’s got behind us, especially when we went down to ten men against Celtic in the first game. It showed what the fans can do, they can make a huge difference, they pushed us on.

“I think Ross County away, when we went down to ten men and ended up winning that game was a good performance. It just showed what kind of squad we have and that’s another highlight because we learned more about us in that game, what we have here”.

Photobombing Paul Quinn after he scored the winner against Celtic was a highlight for many too. How did that happen?

“I just slid on my knees because I saw everyone sliding but because I am bigger than everyone, my momentum took me a lot further! It looked like I’d scored it but the celebrations were quality, I enjoyed that”.

By the time Ash gets back for pre-season, there may be a few changes to the Aberdeen squad to take in. It’s a process he’s looking forward to as much as the rest of us.

“As well as the fans wanting to see new faces, so do the players. It is important to freshen things up. The gaffer’s going to bring in players to improve the team and squad, we know that, and it’s the only way that we’re going to progress as a club. You need to bring in stronger players to compete with everyone else because it will improve the squad. As players, it pushes you even more so it’s always good to get fresh faces in.

“One or two players with a bit more experience or who will allow us to have a bit more strength in depth would be good but some of the young boys have done very well for us and they will be pushing hard to be involved next season too.

“There has been a few debuts for the young boys like Scott McKenna. He’s a good defender and he’s got good size. He’s a good lad as well so hopefully he’ll be looking to kick on next year. I have taken Scott under my wing a bit. Hopefully I can help him develop.

“I had it when I was young, good role models around me. There was Ian Goodison at Tranmere and the last year I played with him, he was 40. He then left Tranmere and he was still playing, and so to offer that bit of experience to the young boys, it’s vital. They can come in and ask you for your opinion on certain things and I’m more than willing to help because I had it when I was a kid and it helped me.

“Every player has bad games, it’s just how you handle it and how you move on from it. Sometimes you see young boys, their heads go down and then that’s them for a while but it’s just important to make sure they stay positive”.