Aberdeen has been fortunate through the years to be blessed with some of the finest forwards that have ever graced the Scottish game. Following in the tradition of Benny Yorston, Matt Armstrong, Paddy Buckley, Joe Harper and their like was Frank McDougall, brought in to replace Mark McGhee in 1984.

Not for the first time in his tenure as Aberdeen manager, Alex Ferguson plundered his old club St Mirren for a future Dons hero. Doug Bell, Billy Stark and Peter Weir had all been brought in from the Paisley club and that continued when Ferguson sought a replacement for McGhee in the summer of 1984, after McGhee had left on a high by scoring the winning goal against Celtic in the 1984 Scottish Cup final before moving to Hamburg.

The Gothenburg hero was a hard act to follow. Ferguson knew all about the Buddies players he had previously brought in as he had been in charge at Love Street, but Frank McDougall did not come into that category, as Alex Miller was St Mirren manager by then. The Paisley side had signed Frank from Clydebank, outbidding Celtic to get their man. While McGhee headed for old European rivals SV Hamburg, Ferguson immediately identified McDougall as a ready made replacement.

The £100,000 fee was certainly well within the Aberdeen budget and, along with Clyde’s Tom McQueen, both players signed for the Dons in July 1984.

Some suggested that Aberdeen would never be as strong as they had been without Strachan and McGhee, with big Doug Rougvie all leaving at the same time. For the likes of Frank McDougall, the pressure was on to maintain those high standards but Ferguson saw that the big man could flourish in his side.

Ferguson demanded that his players retain their Premier crown in 1984/85, a feat never before achieved by a provincial side. With Aberdeen looking to set new standards, they got their season off to a flier by defeating Dundee on the opening day of the season.

Frank had to be patient before making his competitive debut as he had picked up a knock on a pre-season tour. Ironically, it was against his former club St Mirren that he made his Aberdeen bow on August 18th 1984. He could not have wished for an easier debut as Aberdeen cruised to an early two-goal lead and with St Mirren never seriously threatening that lead, it was a comfortable afternoon for the visitors. Frank had a quiet first appearance but did supply the cross for the second goal, converted by Willie Falconer. McDougall was later replaced by Ian Angus as he eased himself into the side.

The line ups that day in front of a crowd of 5,445 at Love Street:

St Mirren: Money, Wilson, Hamilton, Rooney, Fulton, Clarke, Fitzpatrick, McAvennie, Gallagher, Abercrombie, Scanlon.

Aberdeen: Leighton, McKimmie, McQueen, Stark, McLeish, Miller, Porteous, Simpson, McDougall, Bell, Falconer.

1984/85 season

It was an eighth win in a row for Aberdeen when the Dons beat Celtic 4-2 on 8 December 1984. In what was described as the ‘match of the season’, Aberdeen were dominant over a spirited Celtic side. Black scored twice, McKimmie netted a 40 yarder and McDougall scored with five minutes to go.

The Dons team that day was: Leighton, McKimmie, McQueen, Stark (Mitchell 84), McLeish, Miller, Black, Simpson, McDougall, Angus, Weir (Hewitt 88).

The win put Aberdeen well on their way to retaining their Premier League title.

Frank certainly enjoyed a goal or two against the Old Firm. A month later, he netted a hat-trick against Rangers and the following season, on November 2nd 1985 he famously scored all four goals in a 4-1 win.

A TV strike meant the game was not caught on camera, but the stories of that day are etched in Pittodrie folklore.

During his first campaign, Frank scored a remarkable 24 goals in just 30 appearances as the Dons won the title, and clinched it Pittodrie for a first ever time, when they drew 1-1 nearest rivals Celtic.

1985/86 season

The following season would prove to be Alex Ferguson’s last and most topsy-turvy season, the complete opposite of its predecessor. Then, Aberdeen were swept from the cups, allowing them tunnel vision in the league. In 1985/86, they struggled to pick up league points, but proved irresistible in the knock-outs.

Frank scored 20 goals in 38 appearances and ended the season with a Scottish Cup and League Cup double, delivering all three domestic medals in just 24 months at Pittodrie, averaging a piece of silverware every 23 matches. Frank scored an incredible 44 goals from only 69 appearances for the Club.

Frank recalled his remarkable time at Pittodrie: “It was great to part of that Aberdeen side. We were a real force at the time and when Alex Ferguson came in for me, I had little hesitation in joining Aberdeen. They were a great club with a tradition and I was happy to be part of that. Like any footballer I wanted to win things and it was all happening at Pittodrie back then.

“Alex Ferguson was a big influence on my career and it really took off at Aberdeen, I loved scoring goals and in that side, it seemed a lot easier. Ferguson was a great manager although I was once on the wrong side of him after he discovered I was playing snooker one Thursday night before the game on the Saturday. He was none too pleased about that and certainly made me aware of his anger!

“He was that way with us all. It was all very thorough and professional with Fergie, he never missed a trick. I had a great strike partner in Eric Black who was a lot younger than me, he was exceptional in the air and we struck up a great understanding — he could head them all day as long and I got on the end of them and put the ball away. The highlights were when I scored all four against Celtic on one occasion and I also got a hat-trick against Rangers. The atmosphere at Pittodrie back then was fantastic, we celebrated scoring and the fans were really up for it, especially against the Old Firm. The Aberdeen support really got behind the team and it was a great highlight to be part of that great Aberdeen side.”

Golden Boot

Frank McDougall was a special guest at Pittodrie for the game against Livingston in April, after the former striker was unable to attend a dinner celebrating his induction into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2022 due to illness.

After retiring, he fell on hard times and sadly had to sell his set of domestic medals and also his adidas Golden Boot. However, as well as receiving his Hall of Fame award at Pittodrie, the club were able to reunite an emotional Frank with his boot, which has been bought by the AFC Heritage Trust. The prize is on display in the Main Stand reception area.

From its inception in the 1967/68 season, the award, originally called “Soulier d’Or”, which translates from French as Golden Shoe or Boot, has been given to the top goalscorer in all European leagues during a season. It was originally presented by L’Équipe magazine and sponsored by adidas.

Between 1968 and 1991, the award was given to the highest goalscorer in any European league. Since the 1996/97 season, European Sports Media took over the administration of the prize and have awarded the Golden Boot based on a points system that allows players in the stronger European leagues to win, even if they score fewer goals than a player in another league. The weightings are determined by the league’s ranking on the UEFA coefficients.

Frank’s boot, and the fact he still holds the club record for the highest ratio of goals per game, will see his legacy live on for many years to come.