Aberdeen goalkeeper Danny Rogers is having another impressive season in the Championship on loan at Falkirk. Recently he spoke to RedMatchday magazine:

Further evidence of his ability came earlier last month, when along with Jonny Hayes and Adam Rooney, Danny Rogers was selected for Ireland's World Cup Qualifiers against Georgia and Moldova, the first time he has made the full Ireland squad.

“The news came as a massive surprise. I actually thought I was being called up to the U21s but that was a surprise in itself because as it was their last game of the campaign, I thought they would select younger players, looking ahead to the next qualifying campaign. That’s what they normally do so I was a bit puzzled. A couple of days later, my agent phoned and told me I was in the senior squad! I could not believe it, I was completely taken aback. I did not expect it at all. It was a wonderful feeling.

“I loved my time away with them. It was my first time so obviously, I was the new boy going in and I was a bit nervous on my first day. But I was made to feel at home and very quickly felt at ease. All the boys were quite friendly. There are some big, big names in there who have had unbelievable careers, so just being around them was good. It was also good to have Adam and Jonny there! I did not know too many of the lads, so it was nice to have a couple of teammates in there to chat to for the first couple of days. What made the experience even better was the fact we got a couple of wins. It is a tough qualifying group, but we have made a good start.

“All the goalkeepers were very friendly. It was the first time I have met Darren Randolph. He is nice and a good goalie. Seamus McDonagh is the goalkeeping coach. The training was enjoyable and I thought I did well, so I am delighted. Hopefully I did enough to get into the next squad against Austria next month.

“Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane were really good to work with. I grew up watching Roy Keane and Martin was the Celtic manager when I was a youngster. They were big figures back in the day when I was growing up in Ireland, so working with them feels a bit surreal.

“It is a boyhood dream come true. The next stage is to hopefully get a cap. If I can stay in and around the squad, then maybe in a friendly I might get a chance further down the line. But for the time being, I just need to get my head down and keep working hard.

“You have to keep playing well for your club. Thankfully, at Falkirk, things are going well this season. We started the campaign quite slowly and had a few poor results but we have picked up a bit now and I believe were are actually ahead of where we were last season a couple of weeks back.

“We brought in quite a number of new players this summer and they took time to gel. They have all found their feet now and we went a good run of six or seven games unbeaten so it is a happy and settled dressing room.

“The start we had this season was very similar to what happened last year. Again we started slowly but then went on a great run and were very consistent for the rest of the campaign. Because we had that experience under our belts, no one started to worry about the slow start. We all knew that we would come good.

“Hopefully once again we can push for promotion. If I personally can have as good a season as last year I will be delighted. I thought I did very well. It was a very good season for myself, but unfortunately the team just fell at the final hurdle.

“At the start of the season it was tough for me because I had a couple of injuries and then was away on International duty with the U21s so I was in and out of the team but after getting a run of games, I now feel I am getting back to my best.

“I had different options in the summer as a number of clubs wanted me on loan but I chose Falkirk because I knew everyone there. I also knew how the manager worked, what he expected from me and also had confidence from what he had told me in the past. It was a decision I did not think too long about”.

Promotion is the objective but with the play-off set up, it’s a very tough division to get out of as Danny points out.

“I think the play-off structure is tough on the Championship teams. I also don’t know if we were ready to go up last term, and maybe that showed in the games against Kilmarnock, but to get so close was heartbreaking. In the end it was one game too many. We will see what happens this season.

“It is a tough league. There really are no easy games. I don’t think any team will run away with the league this season. I think there will be at least two or three teams up there and it will be very close towards the end of the season. I am looking forward to the challenge”.

Danny is still in close contact with his parent club and is well aware of what’s going on at Pittodrie.

“I try and get up to Aberdeen once a week for training. Sometimes that is not easy with midweek games, different training schedules, but I am up regularly to see the boys. It is important I do come up as often as I can to keep the relationship strong.

“I am getting on well with all the other keepers Joe, Neil, Robbie, David and Aaron as well as Gordon. Joe and Neil have a lot of experience, they have played a lot of games in their careers and you can see they are good goalkeepers. It is good to work with them and to try and learn from them”.

The Dons have loaned plenty of talent out to Championship clubs which means that Danny comes across a few familiar faces from week to week.

“So far I have played against Danny Harvie who is at Dumbarton. Cammy came off the bench for Dundee United and Lawrence did not play for St Mirren that day. As long as none of them score against me because I will never hear the end of it!”

Two weeks ago, former teammate Declan McManus did get the better of Danny, scoring as Raith beat Falkirk 4-2, and last weekend they went down narrowly to Dundee United. A late goal was all that separated the sides despite some excellent saves from Danny. But nonetheless, they’re still well positioned in the promotion fight.

Good luck to Danny for the rest of the campaign!