ANDREW CONSIDINE RECENTLY REACHED A MAJOR MILESTONE BY BREAKING INTO THE TOP TEN AFC ALL-TIME APPEARANCE LIST.

Since making his debut in 2004, he has done onto make 382 appearances. Having just signed a new contract, he could work his way much further up that list.

Andrew spoke about his achievement on RedTV:

“I don’t think the achievement has really sunk in yet. It is an incredible achievement and I am over the moon to have got into the top 10 and to be in amongst those names like Eoin Jess, Russell Anderson, Jim Leighton, Alex McLeish and obviously Willie Miller. There are some really, really good players in there, some real legends of the club.

“I have a chance to move from tenth spot to seventh if I play most of the games between now and the end of the season. If I achieve that, it will be fantastic but the main thing for me is just pulling on that red shirt every Saturday and giving my all.

“It’s nice to be up there with somebody like Russell, who is the best player I have played alongside. As a young boy coming through, he was a player I looked up to and he helped me throughout his career. For a young boy like myself to have a person like that as a role model was massive for my development. The way he played the game, I was able to watch and learn from close quarters and he is a lovely guy off the park as well.

“I think to reach Willie in top spot with his 797 appearances, I would need another ten years to have a crack at it! It shows you just what a remarkable achievement it was by him. I don’t think anyone will ever come close to that, certainly not in the near future”.

As one of the few father and son combinations who have played for the club, the Considine clan might get closer
to Willie if they combine their appearances! That would also mean adding a Premier League medal to the League Cup medal Andy won in 2014.

“My Dad is very proud as well. He still has a season ticket and sits in the Main Stand. He is at every home game he can make and he has always been there for me. He is there is pass on advice. My family at home plays a huge part in so many ways. They make sure I am in tip-top shape going into every game”.

As a veteran these days – at least in terms of appearances! – Andrew has played in a number of different Aberdeen sides. How does this one rank among them?

“It is always difficult to compare teams from different eras and I am fortunate enough to have played in a number of very good sides but the current team is certainly up there. They are up there with the side that did very well in Europe in 2007/08 under Jimmy Calderwood. I think the calibre of player back then is very similar to the side now.

“That season was an incredible experience when you think of the teams we came up against, especially Bayern Munich. Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni, Lukas Podolski. If I had to pick one of them as the best player I’ve come up against, it would be Klose when we played them at Pittodrie. I know they maybe did not play as well as they can that night, but his touch and his pace and movement off the ball was incredible.

“While we went further in Europe then, this team now does better in the domestic cup competitions compared with back then. That team, with the quality we had, should have won trophies. That is something this squad has managed to do and hopefully there are more to come in the years ahead, maybe even this season after we beat Partick in the Scottish Cup to get into the last four.

“I’ve scored a few goals against Partick over the years. It is funny how some players like scoring against one particular team. It would have been nice to have another one, that would have made it a far more comfortable afternoon but Tomas Cerny pulled off an incredible save. I literally just stuck a foot out and managed to get decent contact on it. But the main thing was just to reach the semi-finals and get back to Hampden. Hopefully we can go one stage further now against Hibs.

“I have had many high and lows over the years. Probably the darkest day was the Scottish Cup semi-final against Queen of the South in 2008, even though I scored two goals at the national stadium that day. It took the club a long time to recover from that experience.

“We also lost against Hibs in a semi-final in 2012, but I think we are a different animal nowadays. If we can keep our league form up, we will be going into the game in a good frame of mind but we know Hibs are a good side. Neil Lennon has got them playing a lot of good football and they are looking a good bet to come back into the Premiership next season. They are going to pose a serious threat to us in April, but we are used to playing in these big games now and if we are on our toes and play the way we do most weeks, then we should have enough to trouble them.

“We are desperate to get to another cup final and win another trophy because that League Cup final win is the highlight of my career. Another big game in my career was in that run too, against Motherwell in the quarter-final. I had just returned from my leg break and I scored a goal which helped us get into the semi-final. It was an incredible game as Joe Shaughnessy got sent off early on and we were playing a very good side who were very tough to beat at home. To have helped the team get through was a massive moment for myself, especially after what I had been through during the previous nine months”.

While Andrew has extended his stay here at Pittodrie, news broke recently that Peter Pawlett will be leaving this summer to join MK Dons.

“I have known Peter for a very long time. He was a couple of years below me at school, so I have seen Pete grow up and come through the youth academy all the way to when he first signed for the club. I will be very sorry to see him go but he needs to go and play football. That is his trade and he wants to play every week. I understand why he wants to leave and we wish him well. I am sure he would love to finish here with a day in the sun at Hampden and with a Scottish Cup winner’s medal in his pocket.

“Playing regularly is so important if you want to improve as a player. I think that has certainly helped me over the years, the experience I have gained over the years at this club has stood me in good stead. Derek McInnes coming in has had a big impact on my career. When he arrived, I was still recovering from a broken leg I sustained against Dundee at Dens. He helped me massively in getting over what was a serious injury. The manager has helped develop my game and made me get better and better. I am almost thirty now, but I am still learning. With the standard of players we have in that dressing room, the guys I play alongside, it brings my game on and will continue to do so”

AFC Heritage Trust | All time AFC appearance list | click here