Bojan and Duk have certainly impressed for the first team during the first half of the season, but in our Under 18s, we have a couple of young strikers who are also catching the eye with their scoring exploits.

Liam Harvey has scored 11 goals in 13 games, whilst Alfie Bavidge has now netted five hat-tricks in the Club Academy Scotland U18 League and scored 19 goals during the first ten league games. He also added two more in the victory over Queen’s Park in the SFA Youth Cup last Friday.

Alfie has been in the academy since the Under 10s, and has been involved with the club from the age of eight. Throughout his time in the Academy, he has impressed with the quality of his finishing. As well as being very fast, he has power and more than held his own playing for the Under 18s throughout last season whilst still at school, and also at international level finished the top scorer at the Victory Shield.

“Things have gone pretty well so far,” he says. “It has come good recently, I think from getting my fitness up to the levels they needed to be after injury last season. I’ve been working really hard in training and in games, so it’s good to see it’s coming together. I just want to keep working even harder to get even better.

“The injury happened in March after being away with Scotland. That set me back for a good five months. It wasn’t until mid-July that I was finally starting to get back into training, but I was playing through some pain and I wasn’t fit. It was the first real injury I’ve had, but I’ve done all the work and it is behind me now. It was the longest I have been out and it was not a good experience, but it helps you in a way. You have a better understanding of how your body works and how you need to look after it.”

Alfie has been in the Aberdeen set up for a long time now and has always been completely committed to the club.

“I grew up in the Aberdeen area. I live in Blackburn, just 10 minutes away for Cormack Park, so that is quite handy! I went to Kinellar Primary School and then the SFA Performance School at Hazlehead. Going there helped my game a lot. I felt technically I was maybe behind some of my team-mates, so I was able to work on that aspect of my game and I have become so much better.

“It also gives you a taste of what it is like coming in full-time because you are training every day. Even though I was still in school, we would always train, so it was almost like a full-time schedule, it was very beneficial.

“I’ve been involved with the Academy since I was eight. I remember my first game. It was at Cove and I have still a picture of me with my bag and my Aberdeen tracksuit. I have had a number of coaches during my time in the Academy. I spent quite a bit of time with Greg Moir and Scott Duncan, Liam McGarry as well.”

Alfie’s dad, Martin, is a player many of you will know. A very decent striker, he started his career with Forres Mechanics in the Highland Football League before going on to play for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Forfar Athletic, Peterhead and Inverurie Loco Works, enjoying a testimonial game for Peterhead against Aberdeen back in 2012. His grandfather, Mitch Bavidge, played for Dundee, Raith Rovers and a host of Highland League teams, so football is clearly in the genes.

“My dad’s influence has been massive. Even now he still helps me a lot. He’s helped me get through that spell when I was not fit enough and my performances suffered. He tells me things to work on and after every game, he comes home and talks to me about things I can do better. Even though I may have played well, there’s still things that I could work on. He keeps my feet on the ground. He definitely gives me praise when I deserve it or maybe need it for my confidence. But when I’ve played poorly, he is not afraid to tell me!

“I prefer that, because if I played poorly and he’s telling me, ‘Oh, it’s fine. You have done well’ you are not going to get anywhere or get better, you are not going to learn. Any criticism is very structured and tells me what areas I need to work on.

“I used to go to a lot of his games. I used to always go to all the Peterhead games and also at Inverurie Locos towards the end of his career. I always remember going to Ibrox to see him when Peterhead played Rangers in 2013 and won! Scott Ross and Rory McAllister scored, both ex-Aberdeen youngsters. My granddad also played at a very good level. When we have played at some of these grounds like Brora and Huntly, he tells me stories of what he had done on these pitches!

“I think I have inherited something from them when it comes to the natural instinct that you need as a striker. Throughout my experience within the youth academy, I have always found a way to score goals. Thankfully that comes naturally to me.

“My other main strengths would be my physical attributes – my running, my speed and my strength. There are parts of my game that I need to improve. My hold up play needs to be better when the ball comes into me. That side of my game is getting better and Barry Robson is working really hard with me every day, and I can see an improvement already. I feel this is the best place for me to develop as a player. Barry Robson and Scott Anderson are both brilliant coaches.

“Cormack Park is a great facility to come in to every day. I remember what it was like to play at Balgownie. I remember the changing rooms, I am so scared of spiders and every time you looked, there would be a spider in the corner! It was horrible. I would have to sit as far away from it as possible!”

Alfie’s is just one half of a very promising strike partnership for the Under 18s, as he explains.

“Liam Harvey and I have played together for years, so we have a very good understanding. We knew each other’s games very well before we came in full-time, but when we are working on our movement every day in training, you build up a telepathic understanding. When one of us goes short, the other automatically goes long. When the work we do together on the training pitch comes off in a game, it is great feeling.

“I love being a professional footballer. There is nothing better than going in every day and playing football. I love the feeling every day of knowing that I am getting better and better. It is difficult, don’t get me wrong. But I enjoy the challenge.

“The aim for this season is just scoring goals! Simple as that. I don’t set myself any targets. If you do that, what happens when you get there? I just want to take it game by game and see where I get to come the end of the season.”

Alfie also spoke to RedTV during the recent training camp in Atlanta where he was one of seven U18 players who travelled on the trip with the first team. To watch the interview please click here