Ever since he arrived at Pittodrie in January 2014, Adam Rooney has been something of a history maker. Cup winning penalties, seasonal goalscoring records, they all seem to come naturally to the Irishman. Remarkably, inside two and a half years, he has now posted his 100th game for the club, marking the milestone by scoring in our last game here, against Motherwell. He’s certainly got a move on hasn’t he?

“I probably should have reached 100 games three months ago! Obviously I have done well to get there in a short space of a few years, but it also highlights just how many games we have had with the cup runs in previous season and the European games”.

Milestones always offer up a good moment for reflection, so we asked Adam to select just three favourites from his first century.

“The League Cup Final would have to be at number one. Winning the first major trophy in so many years for the club, and for me to score the winning penalty, that was just incredible.

“I quite liked Groningen away in the Europa League last season. That was a brilliant game, a great atmosphere. We were massive underdogs going into it, so to come away with the win was special. I scored another penalty in that one too! “Beating Celtic would normally be a favourite, but we have done that a number of times since I have been here. We beat them twice during the first two months I was here, in the Scottish Cup at Celtic Park and then beat them in the league here. We have repeated that feat this year as well on two occasions. It is always nice to beat Celtic in the league, but the Cup game was probably the one that meant the most. Sadly though we did not go on and win the cup that season.

“So my third game would be the League Cup semi-final against St Johnstone at Tynecastle. It was only my second game for the club and Shay’s first. The atmosphere was incredible. I had only been in the place a week and then I was thrown into a game like that. I was literally just in the door. I think we had something like 12,500 fans there. I thought, “What is going on here?!”

“I have to be honest I did not realise just how big a club Aberdeen is. When I was at Inverness and we played Aberdeen, they were not doing that great. I knew they were a big club and I knew there was a lot of potential, but it is only when you get here that you fully appreciate the size of the club.

“When you see the amount of away fans, you start to get an understanding. We take a couple of thousand to away games every week. I think you see on twitter that we have almost one of the biggest away followings every time we are on our travels, even bigger than some of the clubs in the Premiership in England.

“I really enjoyed my time at Inverness. It was a real family club. Everyone got on well and there was a close group and great spirit, but Aberdeen in a lot of ways is a bigger version, much bigger. There was a brilliant dressing room in Inverness the one we have got here is probably the best one I have ever been in. There is a great bunch of lads, there is a good craic and everyone gets on well. At the same time, everyone wants to win and succeed. The gaffer and Doc deserve a lot credit for what they have created in the dressing room. It is not just something that happens by chance.

“The family have all settled in Aberdeen. All the players and partners all get on away from the pitch and we do a lot of stuff together. I am out in Ellon and everyone out there is very friendly. Everyone knows my dog in the estate! I really like it out there and I am very settled. It suits us perfectly.

“All around the club, everyone is very friendly and everyone wants you to do well, so I have really enjoyed my time here. I have a good relationship with the fans, although scoring goals helps! I might not have the same relationship with them if I did not score so often! I always try and give the fans some of my time when I meet them, especially the young kids. Their highlight of the week is coming to watch us play football so it is only right we give something back.

“You can see around the town, the kids get a buzz from seeing the lads. Something as simple as posing for a photo or signing an autograph, it should never be too much trouble. It is great to be asked! In a few years time when we all retire, then we will probably miss it. We have to enjoy it whilst we can. We are very fortunate the position we are in. We get to play football every day and that is our job”.

Adam might have been celebrating 100 games in the Dons’ shirt a little bit earlier had it not been for a couple of months spent on the sidelines with injury, a problem that has been especially frustrating given it took him out of the business end of the campaign.

“I have never really had many injuries. I had one when I was 17 at Stoke, a knee ligament one. I was out for about five weeks but it was during pre-season so I was back by the start of the campaign. My first season at Aberdeen, I did my ankle at Celtic Park but only missed the last two games of the season, so it was nothing serious again. This is really the first time I have had to miss part of a season through injury so it is frustrating, especially the time it has come at because it would have been nice to have helped the lads out in recent months.

“It is also a shame myself and Simon didn’t get a chance to play on the pitch more often. Since he came in, we worked quite well in training and even in the few games that we did play together. I enjoyed playing with him, whether I was up top and he was on the wing or if he was up front and I was wide. I thought it was more than just the two games actually, it felt a lot more because of the understanding we had. We both get on very well. He is a great lad and I am pleased he has done so well.

“It was also frustrating because I was on a good run when I got injured. I think I had scored something like 14 goals in 16 games, so I was in some of the best form I have been in. But what can you do? It’s part and parcel of the game and being a sportsman. As I say, I have been very lucky up to now that I have not had anything too serious so I cannot complain too much and, touch wood, this is the last injury I have for a while”.

A second consecutive runners up berth completes a third successful campaign in a row for the Dons but the club is having to deal with raised expectations and the simple fact that, the higher you go, the more difficult it becomes to gain any more ground.

“I don’t really think anyone can complain if the club are improving year on year. It is hard to complain about progress. Ever since I have come in, there has been progress. In my first season we won the cup and finished third in the league, although we should have finished second.

“Then the next year, the gaffer challenged us to improve on that and make sure we got second which we did and also did it with a points record outside the Old Firm. The next challenge was to try and improve on our points total this year and see where it takes us. At the time of doing this interview, with two games to go, we are still in position to do that. I don’t think you can ask much more.

“I know people will say that we missed chances, but Celtic have not actually lost that many games apart from when they played us. They have only been beaten four times and twice it was us! We were really needing a few other teams to dig in there and take a few points off them.

“Some people are saying we bottled this game and that one and we did not keep up the pressure, but I feel we have. There are obviously a few games that we should have won but there have been a lot of times this season, especially earlier on in the campaign, when we have been really up against it and we managed to dig in and get a win. The Inverness game here, we got a penalty late on, up at Ross County we were down to ten men in the first half and County were on a great run at the time and yet we won. Then there was the game down at Partick when we were 1-0 down and came back to win 2-1.

“People forget about these games because at the end of the season we have not won the league and they are looking for negatives. I think you need to look at the positives. There is a lot to look forward to. We can build on what we have done over the last couple of years. I have no doubt the squad will improve.

“There is also some great talent coming through. There are a lot of very good young lads. You can see that in the past few weeks when there have been a number of the U20 boys on the bench. That is good experience for them as well. It is good for them to be around the first team boys.

“I have to say the older lads are very good with the kids here. Everyone gets on. There is no real fear factor for them. They respect us but they are not overawed when they come and join us at training. They have also had great experience with the likes of Barry Robson playing with them in the Development League. Playing with Barry, they get to understand what it is like to be a proper winner”.

Earlier we asked Adam for his top three games, but when you talk to a number nine, it’s all about the goals. So what are the top three of those?

“I would have to include that penalty. Did I ever tell you I scored the winning penalty in the cup final?! I think that would have to be number one. I am trying to think of any good goals I have scored! I think I have only scored one good one! That was the volley against St Johnstone and even then, the keeper should have saved it! There was my mazy run at the same ground this season when I showed my pace and power and trickery. Yeah, that could be up there.

“The only other good goal I remember was against Livingston. David Goodwillie played me in with a back heeler and I volleyed it home.

“I scored a cracker at training a few months back. No one was expecting it! It would have been goal of the season if a camera was there! I was out wide on the 18 yard box, it came over my shoulder and I volleyed it past Scott Brown into the top corner. Most of the boys did not think I meant it because they did not think I could kick the ball that far. I know I get stick for always scoring from a yard out, but let me tell you, it is not as easy as it looks! The secret is to hit the ball off your shins. Never miss if you do that…

“I think I will just have to list all my penalties! I am confident hitting penalties. I have done it most of my career. I have taken a lot of last minute penalties, so you get used to the pressure. I have always believed that if you hit a penalty well enough, as long as the keeper does not go too early, he is very unlikely to get to it.

“I usually decide before the game where the penalty is going. I don’t think I have it in my locker to watch the keeper as I walk up to it! A couple of quick steps and then I run and hit it. I do practice my penalties a lot and do a lot of research before a game. It is actually one of the reasons I do my walk on the pitch before a game. I try and visualise where I might score goals from, including from the penalty spot. Touching the bar as well, I have no idea why I do that but I started doing it and just keep doing it! “

As an expert on hitting the back of the net, it finally comes to Adam to settle the big debate. Who should have won the goal of the season – Jonny’s strike against Celtic or Niall’s individual effort against Hearts?

“Two totally different goals. Niall’s was a piece of brilliant skill. He can do that to anyone. I have seen him doing it in training all the time. Jonny’s was a great strike in a big game. I would have to say it was fairly close. I know at the Player of the Year dinner, at my table half said Jonny and half said Niall. I was the only one saying me!”