Aberdeen striker Cammy Smith is currently enjoying a second loan spell of the season, after moving from Dundee to Paisley. The 21-year-old made 22 appearances for Dundee United, scoring five goals, but is now with fellow Don Craig Storie at St Mirren for the remainder of the campaign. Since his arrival at St Mirren Park, it has coincided with a remarkable change in fortunes for the Buddies.

Cammy, who came through the Dons’ youth system, made his first team debut on 21 April 2012. He picked up the Aberdeen Young Player of the Year award two seasons ago and has represented Scotland at U16, U17 and U19 level.

He played against ICT in the League Cup final victory in 2014 and was instrumental in helping the U20s win the Development League the following year. Over the past six seasons, Cammy has made 91 appearances for the Dons and scored four goals.

RedMatchday recently spoke to Cammy about how he was enjoying life in the Championship:

“It has been great. Obviously I was not featuring as much as I would have liked towards the end of my spell at Dundee United, so we had to do something about it. It was agreed that is was best to come down to St Mirren to get more game time. I’ve certainly not regretted the decision. Jack Ross has been really good with me and I have played every game when I have been available and I’ve been doing pretty well. With a bit more luck, I would have had a few more goals, but I feel my performance levels on the whole have been high”

Recently Cammy and his teammates almost caused one of the biggest Scottish Cup upsets in their quarter-final against Celtic, when they were only the bounce of a ball away from going 2-0 up.

“When we went to play Celtic we had a game plan although we did not have much time to work on it because we played Hibs during the week. We started really well, got the goal and caused them a few problems in the first half. On the whole, our shape was brilliant. We moved the ball about quite well and made good use of any possession we had.

“As everyone knows, you need that bit of luck when you go to Celtic Park and just after the break we hit the underside of the crossbar and the ball bounced back out into play. That would have made it 2-0 and we would have been in a very strong position. We would have had them very worried, but it was not to be.

“Once Celtic equalised, they went through the gears and went on to win quite comfortably in the end but for the first 60 minutes, we really gave them a test. Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for our team after the game and he made some nice comments to us individually as we walked off the park.

“Playing at Celtic Park brought back memories of the League Cup final. It was my first lengthy spell on that pitch since the final and playing there brought back a lot of good memories. I enjoy playing on the big stage. Every player wants to test themselves in that kind of environment and play in the biggest games they can. Playing against Celtic in the form that they are in and with the players they have in their team was a good experience for me. It was good to come up against them and especially against Brown and Bitton in the middle of the park. I felt we gave a good account of ourselves”.

St Mirren’s completely defied expectations and made a mockery of their league placing, right at the bottom of the Championship. At one point this season, they looked doomed, but recent form means that the great escape might yet be on for them.

“The most important thing is for us now to stay in the league and we are focussing on that. We believe we can do it. Before I came down in January, things were not going well and everyone was writing St Mirren off. Jack Ross recognised that and brought in a number of new faces during the transfer window. All the players have really gelled on the pitch and off it. It had to be that way because we needed to get some points on the board straight away.

“We managed to get some wins back to back and that has given us a fighting chance. We have some games in hand on the teams above us so if we can get a couple more wins we will then drag a few teams into the relegation battle with us and then it will all be to play for going into the last couple of months of the season.

“Every game is a cup final for us, that is the way we are treating it. Every game we go into, we need to get something from. Even if it is only a point, we need to get something out of the game if possible. That Hibs game last week was massive for us. We won 2-0 and really dominated the game and deserved the win against the top side in the Championship. But it is going need a lot more performances like that to get us over the line.

“I have been very impressed by Jack Ross. The way he does his work, off the pitch and on the training field, has been very good. He is very hands on, very organised and all the boys in the changing room appreciate that. He has been a key part turning things round at the club.

“When I came down here, at first the manager played me narrow off the left. The last three or four games, I have played just in behind the striker which has been good. There are some good players at the club, the ones he brought in recently plus the ones who were already had here. The formation we are playing suits our game perfectly. We know that we still have a lot to do, but if the manager can keep leading us forward the way he has been, then we have a chance.

“It has been good working with Jamie Langfield again. Everyone in Aberdeen knows what Langers is like. He is a good guy and keeps the place upbeat. He tries to keep all the boys happy and on their toes. He is not part of the dressing room though as he is now a coach and gets changed elsewhere! But I still see him in the canteen every day after training and still enjoy winding him up!

“Of course, Craig Storie is here as well. It is good to have a familiar face in the dressing room and Craig is someone who I played with for a good number of years now. There are also a lot of boys of the same age group who I have played with at Pittodrie over the last two or three years featuring in the Division.

“Daniel Harvie is on loan at Dumbarton. I played against Danny a couple of weeks back and he has been doing really well and been very consistent. Scott McKenna is at Ayr United and Lawrence Shankland is at Morton and we play them in a couple of weeks time. And then Danny Rogers is at Falkirk and Aaron Lennox at Raith Rovers, so there are a lot of familiar faces I come across on a Saturday!

“Because I have always been at Aberdeen I have never experienced playing against friends, teammates. With more and more young players going on loan, it is something that is happening more often and you realise it is just part of playing football. It was a bit strange at first but as soon as you cross that white line, you forget about it. You just concentrate on your job and forget about any friendship over those 90 minutes.

“We all have similar goals in mind. The year we won the Development League together was brilliant for the likes of myself, Lawrence, Michael Rose, Scott McKenna. We were all under 20 so it was one of the biggest things we could achieve at that point in our career. But after achieving that, you then want to go and get regular first team football. If you don’t get it at a club like Aberdeen, then it is good to go out and try and get it somewhere else.

“These loans have been good for my development. It is proper football, in a proper league, playing at proper stadiums and in front of proper crowds. There is pressure on you every time you play. It is a good way of learning the trade. I definitely feel that I have learnt more this season from having good experiences and having bad experiences, off the pitch and on it. I feel that it will stand me in good stead for the long run and help my career. Hopefully it can help take me to some good places. It has been a very beneficial season for me.

“I am out of contract at the end of the season, as a few of the boys are at Pittodrie. I have had a very busy period with a lot of midweek games down here and I am playing Saturday, Wednesday for the next few weeks as well, so I have not really had much time to think about my future. All my focus has been on the games I have been playing and trying to get some points for St Mirren.

“Of course I have kept an eye of what has been happening at Aberdeen and have kept in touch with some of the boys. I am an Aberdeen fan so it is great to see the team doing well. When the time is right, whoever is looking after me will sit down and will sort out what is best going forward for Aberdeen and myself.”