Arguably our greatest ever wide player turns 60 today.

Sir Alex Ferguson once said that Peter Weir was the final piece in his jigsaw when he signed the flying winger for a record transfer fee in Scotland and the self-confessed Dons fan was only too happy to sign for his boyhood heroes.

The very humble but hugely gifted player arrived from St Mirren, who the Dons meet on Saturday in the Scottish Cup.

Peter also famously scored the vital winner against the Buddies in what proved to be really tough Scottish Cup tie in 1982. That goal, in the semi final replay at Dens, with his right foot, through the legs of Billy Thomson, put the Dons on the path to European glory.

To mark his birthday and pay tribute to one of our greatest players, Sean Graham from the RedMatchday team spoke to Peter for Saturday’s programme:

“Within maybe three years (of playing for St Mirren), I got a phone call one night from Ricky McFarlane who was by now the St. Mirren manager, explaining that the club needed the money and would I be interested in going to Aberdeen?

“It was a total, total shock as I hadn’t played a lot of games for St. Mirren, but obviously Sir Alex and Archie Knox had been watching me, which I didn’t know anything about. I decided that I must take the gamble. I was just married then, with a six month old kid and I lived in Eaglesham and I thought, I am going to go to my boyhood heroes, who I supported for a number of years! It was the best decision that I ever made in my life.”

“They (the St Mirren players) were all still good pals of mine (when we met them in the 1982 semi final). I missed the Saturday game at Parkhead, I had the flu, and I remember Fergie and Archie bringing me in, I was just recovering, and they gave me a real hard session, telling me they wanted to play me in the replay. As it worked out, I scored the winning goal with my right foot through Billy Thomson’s legs. I don’t think the Aberdeen fans were worried how it went in as long as they got to the final!

“It was sad in a way that I was shaking hands with the St. Mirren players after the game at Dens Park. I was honest and genuine about it, as they were all good pals and helped me and there I was putting them out of the cup in the semi-final, but it turned out to be such an important win for the team, especially as we went on and won the cup that year.”

“At St. Mirren, I played in a couple of UEFA Cup ties, I played against the great Saint Etienne side, but I never thought that when I went up to Aberdeen, we were going to win European trophies. It just didn’t come into your head at that time.

“Obviously we had a great run in Europe and winning all the Scottish Cups and League titles, it was just a great time. We had fantastic days and nights beating these teams like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Hamburg in the Super Cup. That one was something special for me as my boy was born during the game, which I didn’t know anything about at the time.

“Aberdeen are a brilliant club. I’m fortunate to I have supported them and played for them and then I worked ten years with the AFC Youth Academy down here in Glasgow. I still go to the games and I still support them when I can.”

The full interview with Peter is available to read in Saturday’s special Scottish Cup RedMatchday Magazine. Priced at £3.00, it is available to buy from the sellers in and around the ground and also from the club shop. Copies can also be purchased online from the CurtisSport website.