As the cliché demands, all good things come to an end and, so ends Andrew Considine’s professional career. On Sunday Andy announced his retirement from football after a quite brilliant 20-year spell in the top-flight.

With 645 senior appearances to his name, 571 of them made in a Dons shirt, the defender is fourth in the all-time Aberdeen appearances list, only the might of Willie Miller, Alex McLeish and Bobby Clark having played more games for the Dons.

Sadly Andrew’s final season at Pittodrie, would not have been the one he wanted of course, decimated by a horrible knee injury sustained on the atrocious surface at Qarabag back in August, a blow that essentially ended his season. Had it not been for that, he might well have celebrated 600 games for the Dons, having left Bobby Clark trailing in his wake as he pushed into the top three.

It is unlikely in the modern game we will ever see anyone getting close to his total.

To find the point where it all started, we have to go back to the 20th century, to days when they were no smartphones, no Twitter, no Facebook. Simpler times perhaps, times when Andrew made the step up from schoolboy football to being involved with the Dons for the first time.

“I played with Banchory until I was about 11. It was at that age I first got scouted by the club when I was playing at the Aberdeen International Football Festival. They invited me to go in for trials and from there, I was a part of the Youth Academy all the way up to 16. My main coaches were Alan McInnes and Paul Craig. Paul was part of the Youth Academy’s coaching staff for a good number of years and worked with many of the boys who went on to play in first team.”

As he tried to pick his way through the minefield of youth football and on into the professional game, Andrew did have one extra helper – dad Doug, a former league title winner with the Dons under Sir Alex Ferguson.

“My dad was a huge influence on my career. I remember watching him play for Banchory St. Ternan and I have seen a few tapes of him playing for Aberdeen. Everyone I have spoken to said was a good player with a fantastic left foot. Although he was only at Pittodrie for two and a bit years, he was very successful – he won a league title medal. Seeing how successful he was, even in just those two years, it really spurred me on.

“As boys, my dad would have me and my brother out playing football in the back garden when we were very little. Growing up, it was always football and golf. My family are massive on golf as well. My brother was a scratch golfer and my dad played off three or four. My granddad was a scratch golfer at Muirfield, so everyone in the family played.

“We used to live virtually on the sixth tee at Banchory when I grew up. There used to be a little lane that we could go down so we could sneak on in the lighter nights in the summer. We would play a couple of holes. The best I ever got my handicap down to was six. I used to play a lot until I signed here. After that, it was not possible to do both.

“I would not have had the career I’ve had without my dad’s help. He is the first person I will speak to after a game and he will tell me exactly what he thinks. He will not shy away from anything, and I value his opinion massively.”

Things could have turned out very differently though, for the Dons weren’t entirely convinced of his potential.

“To be honest I was not offered a contract by Aberdeen at first. I was actually offered the chance to sign for Rangers. But after 24 hours, Aberdeen did come back and said they would give me a year’s contract so I stayed here instead. I had a decision to make but in truth it was an easy one for me. It is still up there as one of the proudest days of my life when I signed for Aberdeen. I had watched some real legends here, so it was a real honour to sign. To then go on and put on the shirt was truly something special.

“It was pretty scary at first. It was still quite old school. You were frightened to even go and speak to a first team player, never mind go through the first team dressing room. There was such a level of respect. I am not saying there is not that respect there nowadays, but it is different, the youth boys and the first team players mix a lot more than they did back then.
“Coming in as a professional, I remember doing my first pre-season with Neil Cooper. That was a massive eye opener! To go from training two nights a week to having double sessions and, putting it nicely, getting your butt run off! None of us were used to that!

“If I have one regret from then, it’s that I wish I had more guidance on fitness and was told not to lift so many weights, because I was way too big at times to play football. I would say that it definitely affected me. Back then people thought it was the way to go, there were a lot of boys in the gym lifting weights. We used to do two or three sessions a week and I was in the gym every afternoon after training for up to two hours, battering weights. You do need your upper body strength especially in the game nowadays but I was going over the top. I was way too heavy.

“During my first season, I was called up to play for the U21 side. We went down to play Celtic at Parkhead. I was only on the bench and I think we got hammered but I remember phoning my dad almost in tears afterwards! I was buzzing. I had not even been getting a game for the U19s so it was a massive step up for me.

“Then in May 2004, I got my first game for the first team. I was on the bench at Partick, Livingston and then came on in the game against Dundee. Steve Paterson was the manager who handed me my debut. I will always be grateful to him for doing that. I know we lost, but it was a very special game for me. I played alongside Markus Heikkinen. Although I remember what happened before and after the match and I can hardly remember the actual game because I was that nervous!

“I never really got to know Steve, Duncan Shearer or Oshor Williams as I did not train much with the first team. I worked mainly with Neil Cooper. He was a massive part of my development because he took the youth and the reserve teams. He was a really good guy. He would not stand for any nonsense and he was very honest. And then after my debut, Steve left that summer and in came Jimmy Calderwood”.

It took the better part of the season for Andrew to force his way into Calderwood’s plans, his second appearance for the Dons coming at the end of 2004/05.

“I came on against Celtic at Celtic Park and that was something else. The place was full, you couldn’t hear yourself think. Nothing you are taught could prepare you for that. People say go and enjoy it and relax and express yourself – you have 60,000 people screaming at you, most of them screaming things which are not very nice and I’m supposed to enjoy myself?!

“Working for Jimmy Calderwood was an important part of my career – but I used to hate his pre-seasons! They were very tough. It was two weeks of running, solid running, so it was very difficult, but you just had to get through it. Jimmy made us one of the fittest teams in the league, if not the fittest. We used to go 2-4-4 on occasions and just batter teams. We could do that because the players were so fit.

“Even although I was still a young and inexperienced player, Jimmy gave me a fair crack of the whip. I have to say a massive thanks to him for letting me play in Europe a bit later on especially. He could have played all his experienced boys but he put me in the side and I had some fantastic experiences, ones that I will never ever forget.”

As is the way with many youngsters, Andrew had to gradually work his way into the first team picture, getting a game here and there through injury or suspension to older, more experienced players. Across 2005/06, he reached double figures in appearances before finally making the real breakthrough and establishing himself in the Aberdeen side in the following season. That 2006/07 campaign saw him playing 36 games and he managed to get on the scoresheet too, his first goals coming in a 2-0 win at St Mirren in January 2007.

“That was strange because my dad phoned me in the morning before the game and said I was going to score two goals. It was incredible, within the first 20 minutes of the game I had scored two goals. I gave away a penalty in that game as well, which Jamie Langfield saved. It was certainly my day!”

As a youngster making his way in the game, he could hardly have asked for a better partner at the back that season than club captain and Aberdeen hero, Russell Anderson. Andrew is well aware of the debt that he owes him.

“I really looked up to Russell. He was the number one centre-half. I would just watch him in training and learn so much. He would train exactly the same way as he would play. He was something else. To eventually land up playing alongside him was something I could only have dreamed about. To have that first full season playing alongside him was priceless and it stood me in very good stead throughout my career.

“He was a captain who led by example. He was not vocal just for the sake of it, instead he would talk you through a game. He was very aggressive with his headers and in his tackles. One of my abiding memories of playing alongside Russell was when we played Celtic and he sent Thomas Gravesen virtually into the North Sea! He is an absolute legend here and a fantastic guy off the park. I roomed with him quite a bit. He is a down to earth Aberdonian.

“I will always remember we played Queen’s Park at Firhill in the League Cup and we lost on penalties. I played alongside Russell that game and I remember coming back up the road on the bus after the game and it was a horrible experience. It was a very quiet bus, but Russell made a point of coming up, sitting next to me, and speaking to me. He said that although we lost, he felt I played well that night. Little things like that help as a young boy massively. It made the journey that little bit easier.

“That season we qualified for Europe, 2006/07, the year before Russell left, in defence we were very solid. There was Richard Foster at left-back and Michael Hart at right-back. No one got past them, they were both lightning quick. That made the job easier for me and Russell in central defence. We also had Scott Severin in front of us, so we were well protected!

“Ahead of him, you had players like Barry Nicholson, Jamie Smith, Steve Lovell, Lee Miller, Darren Mackie. There was a lot of experience in that side plus a lot of ability. Rangers and Celtic were both very strong back then, but we had a very good side as well, a very strong team, and that was shown by how far we got in Europe the year after.

“Coming through the qualifier with Dnipro was very special. We were always the underdogs because I think Dnipro were in the Champions League the season before. They certainly had a lot of European experience – they still are flirting with the Champions League or the Europa League even now. At a packed Pittodrie, we always have a chance, because it must be a very difficult place to come to and the crowd really helped us in the first leg. I think I actually had a chance in the first five minutes, but the keeper saved it.

“Even going into the second leg, we felt it was there for us as we had held our own at Pittodrie. We had nothing to lose going over there. It was a very hostile atmosphere in the Ukraine, the stadium was very old school to say the least, but we went 1-0 up thanks to that goal from Darren. They equalised and we were under unbelievable pressure, but what a feeling when the final whistle went.

“I can’t remember a game where we defended like that for 90 minutes. I don’t think anything will come close to that in terms of the way we had to defend and the boys came off the pitch exhausted, but it was certainly worth it. It was almost surreal afterwards, but it was the best feeling ever.

“That was just the start of the European adventure. It is incredible now looking back at the teams that we were drawn against and it was some achievement getting to the last 32. The Copenhagen game at Pittodrie when we won 4-0 was incredible. Coming off the pitch that night the place was absolutely rocking, it is a very special memory for everyone connected with AFC who was there that night.

“We drew the short straw by having to face Bayern Munich after that, but in the game here, we matched them. We should have won 2-1 as I still don’t think they should have had a penalty. Competing with them over two legs was always going to be a step too far as they had some incredible players, guys who have starred at World Cups like Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni, Toni Kroos, Samuel, Mark Van Bommel. I think they knew they would always win the game when they went a goal up, but we certainly gave them a shock at Pittodrie.

“We had some fantastic nights but there is no doubt that it did effect our domestic form that season. It was something new for us. Even then, we had a very good campaign. It could have been an even better season had we not lost the two cup semi-finals. Although I scored in both the game against Dundee United in the League Cup semi-final at Tynecastle and the Scottish Cup semi at Hampden against Queen of the South, they were bitterly disappointing memories and hard to take.”

From the European heights, those cup semi-final defeats were a signal that the Dons were about to enter a difficult period. Jimmy Calderwood left in the summer of 2009 after achieving European qualification again, ushering in the return of Mark McGhee as the club entered a transitional phase with a real turnover of players.

“We lost a lot of our experienced players. We did eventually bring in some very good lads – Mark Kerr came in, Charlie Mulgrew was there and Paul Hartley. It was a tough time at the club because we were not getting results. I got on with Mark and had no problem with him. It just did not work out, on or off the park. That sometimes happens in football.”

They were a pretty mixed 18 months under McGhee before Craig Brown arrived at the club in December 2010, a change that Andrew sees as especially significant in Aberdeen’s development.

“Craig and Archie brought respect back to the club. They brought Jim Leighton back in, which the club needed. You look at what Craig and Archie have both done in the game, it is incredible. Craig has taken the national team to a World Cup and a European Championships. Craig is a fantastic guy and it is great to still see him part of the club.

“Archie was the same. He would at times tell you exactly what he thought but as long as you respected him he would have a respect for you. I enjoyed them both being here. Ok we did not finish in the top six, but we were slowly getting back to where we had been. They did the job they were brought in to do and helped settle the ship. They were also unlucky in some of the big games we played. There were a number of semi-finals where things didn’t go our way. I got sent off against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final – to this day, I can honestly say I did not touch him.

“There have been many cup disappointments, losing finals, semi-finals, losing to lower league teams and so I guess that made winning the League Cup extra special. Let’s be honest, it was not a classic! It was very tense and there were very few chances. I remember Niall having one in the second half, Cammy Smith had a header in extra-time, but that was really about it. We pretty much knew it was going to go to penalties. It had that feeling about it. I think the players knew, I think all the fans knew as well.

“Playing in a final is very nerve-racking. In most games you will have a few nerves before the game and in the first five minutes but once the match gets going, you settle down and concentrate on the job you have to do. You forget about being nervous and forget about the crowd.

“In a final though, it is always there. Any slight slip can lead to a goal, so we did not play with our usual freedom, but it was the same for both teams. I did feel that they were tiring and the manager took me off and put Scott on to try and win it before the end, but it went to penalties. Langers was outstanding in the shoot-out, making a fantastic save, and all the penalty takers hit brilliant penalties. You will not see very often five such good penalties.”

Of course, in the previous season, Andrew suffered serious injury, breaking his leg just after Christmas 2012 in a game at Dens Park, not returning until the following September.

“I would say that the mental side of it was the toughest part. Chris Clark was recovering from a long term injury at the time so at least I had someone who was experienced to help me through it.

“It was a long nine months. I had never broken a bone in my body before that incident. I was lucky because there was a special surgeon working in Ninewells at the time and I got my operation within a couple of days. I did not land up in a cast, I got a pin and a couple of screws put in my ankle, which took some time off my recovery. I will always remember the week before I started training again I ran up so many sand dunes at Balmedie beach with John Sharp. I was borderline being sick. It was me and Michael Rose. It was horrendous but he got me fit and I am grateful to him for that.

“While I was out, the club changed manager again and Derek McInnes came in, so I had to prove myself all over again once I was fit. The Motherwell game in the League Cup was really important in doing that. All the hard work paid off that night at Fir Park. It’s probably my favourite game. I came off the bench and scored and helped the team win a very tough game with ten men. It was a very emotional evening for me. And of course, we went on to win the cup.

“Derek McInnes was very good for me. He modernised things and really sorted out our diets, the way you look after yourself off the pitch, and I really benefitted from that. It does prolong your career if you look after yourself, watch what you put in your body and look to stay at peak fitness. It all helps you get about the pitch. That played a big part in me playing the most consistent football of my career under him.”

European football has provided many highlights in recent times, the 3-0 win in Rijeka one that especially stands out.

“That was a special night. They came out and said that no one had won there for years. They had beaten some really good European teams. The biggest turning point in the game was the water break after about 20 minutes. Rijeka had hit the post, they had hit the bar, probably should have been two or three up, but we managed to ride the storm and got to the break.

“The manager just told us to settle down. We did not keep the ball very well, and when it is as warm as it was, you then have to do a lot of running. We were trying to play the ball into the corners but we needed to keep it better. We started to win the midfield battle and what a difference that made.

“It was an incredible feeling getting my first European goal and that really settled us down. For my goal, the week leading up to the game we had worked a lot on set plays. With the height we had in the team – Ash Taylor, Paul Quinn and myself – we thought we could capitalise on a set play. I was lucky enough to get on the end of one. I managed to lose my man and I remember seeing the goalkeeper coming flying out for it, about a yard in front of me, but he missed it. For my header I did not get a lot on it but I just tried to make a decent connection and direct the ball to the space that the keeper left. When the ball hit the net it was a feeling you cannot describe – it was a feeling of relief as well after the difficult start!

“Second half we had to ride the storm a little bit but on the break, we looked very dangerous. Peter Pawlett scored with a great header and then Kenny McLean came on and got the third with another great finish. That goal really kick-started his Aberdeen career.”

There have been many signature moments from Andrew down the years, but Rugby Park in February 2020 is definitely up there. He may not have put the ball in the net, but Considine’s vital contribution deep in extra-time saw the Dons see off Kilmarnock when defeat had seemed inevitable.
“We knew before that game it was a must-win. We were out of the League Cup and you want to get to Hampden. Kilmarnock have been a tough opponent for us.
“When it was 3-2 to them, there were only five or six minutes to go and you just think ‘what are the chances?’ but the boys never gave up. Lewis Ferguson won a penalty out of nothing and it must’ve been in the last couple of minutes. Then I think Shay put the ball in and I kept the ball in play. I just thought that I needed to get it across goal and I got a brilliant connection and kept it low. The defender tried to clear it and it went in off his knee and you could see the reaction of the fans and the boys – we were just dead on our feet. The reason I was up there was we had the majority of the ball and I had been up for the last few minutes. I was just trying to get involved and I went to challenge with the defender and it was about to go out, but with my last bit of energy I just managed to get on the end of it and swing it back in and it was brilliant to see it go in”.

In more recent years, the call from Scotland finally came, much to not only Andrew’s delight, but seemingly that of the whole Scottish game.

“From getting the call up to playing in two games, it was the most emotional six days of my career to be honest, and very hectic too. I phoned my wife, she was driving at the time, so when I’d told her, she was crying at the wheel, I had to get her to pull over! Then I phoned my parents. It takes a lot for my dad to be reduced to tears, so that was a big moment, and then I got on to all my siblings and let them know about it, so that was a great few minutes on the phone.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect, whether I would get any game time at all. The manager walked through the shape of the team on the Sunday morning and said to me, “Andy, this will be your first cap, you’ll be playing.” There was no time to think about it because the game was that night, and maybe that was for the best, you get your head in the game and don’t have time to worry about it.

“To then actually get out there, to play two games, two wins, two clean sheets and to help the team keep the unbeaten run going, then play again in the November, I was really delighted to be a part of it.

“I was nervous for that first game, I’m not going to lie, but it was a great feeling to go and win the game. Then to get picked again was really pleasing, especially as we knew the Czech Republic would be a better team and give us a tougher game. For the manager to have the confidence in me to pick me again was great.

“Once we got ahead, I felt we could keep them out but it was a bit like being at Ibrox or Celtic Park, just waves of attacks. We rode our luck a bit at certain moments, but generally we defended really well as a team and coming out on the winning side is something I’ll never forget.

“I’d got enough experience playing European football with Aberdeen so that helped, but it was a big step up. You sit and watch it at home, the World Cup, European Championships and what not, so you know you are up against top class opposition. You really need to be on your toes. But that’s what you play football, for moments like that. It was very special for myself and the family.”

His final season started very promisingly too, with fans back in the ground for the visit of BK Häcken after the COVID season.

“The Häcken game here was an emotional one for everyone, you could feel there was something special in the air with the fans back in the stadium at last. The celebration when I got that first goal, I think that was getting rid of all the frustrations of a season without fans.

“I know there was only just over 5,000 there but it felt noisy, it felt atmospheric, it was just how football should be played. The COVID season, even in games where we were winning and playing well, it didn’t feel the same, it didn’t have that same edge,

“That rush of adrenalin that everyone in the stadium got from that first goal, that was very special. It was my first European goal at Pittodrie as well, so that was really satisfying. And then a couple of weeks later, I got the injury in Qarabag and that was my season virtually over.

“Even to this day, my friends told me that it is not a real job! But the amount of work and effort you have to put in to get to the level where you are playing week in week out on a Saturday is incredible. There is so much work that has to be put in. You really have to dig deep and get your head screwed on. There are also so many sacrifices you have to make, especially when you are coming back from a serious injury. I was on crutches for six or eight weeks and it was the hardest period of my career. But thankfully I have so many good memories to look back upon as well.”

Everyone at AFC congratulates Andrew on his fantastic career. Once a Don, always a Don. 

ANDREW CONSIDINE TIMELINE

15/05/04 SPL |

Steve Paterson, in his final game in charge, hands Andrew his Aberdeen debut on the final day of the season against Dundee. It was the defender’s first season as a full-time player.

27/01/07 SPL |

Andrew’s dad Doug, who was a league title with Aberdeen in 1980, has a dream that his son would score two goals against St Mirren the night before. The follow day Andy scored his first two goals for the club!

04/10/07 UEFA CUP |

Against all the odds, in his first European tie, Andy helps his side drew with Dnipro in the UEFA Cup first-round second leg in Ukraine, Aberdeen winning on away goals. The win led to some memorable nights against the likes of Bayern Munich. Andy has so far played 35 games in Europe.

14/02/12 SCOTTISH CUP |

Andrew wheels away in delight after scoring a late winner against Queen of the South in a fifth round replay. It was revenge for the semi-final defeat in 2008, where Andy had scored two goals at Hampden. In total he has five Scottish Cup goals. He would go on and win the AFC Player of the Year award that season.

30/10/13 SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP QUARTER FINAL |

Andrew rises to head the ball home and give Aberdeen the lead late against Motherwell in a match that Andrew has picked as his favourite game. It was his first match after almost a year out recovering from a broken leg.

16/03/14 SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP FINAL |

Andrew Considine, Barry Robson and Nicky Low celebrate with the League Cup trophy after the 4-2 win over Inverness CT on penalties.

27/03/15 ANDREW CONSIDINE TESTIMONIAL MATCH |

Andrew at his testimonial match against FC Twente.

16/07/15 UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE QUALIFIER |

Andrew heads it home to put his side 1-0 up against HNK Rijeka in Croatia, his first European goal. The Dons would go on and win 3-0, one of their finest away wins in Europe.

31/03/17 SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP |

Andrew with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick against Dundee at Dens Park. He is the first and only Dons defender who has scored three goals in a game. He has gone on and scored 41 goals.

17/05/17 SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP |

Andrew helps Aberdeen secure their first win at Ibrox since 1991. Three more wins against Rangers in Glasgow followed last season, in three competitions.

13/05/18 SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP |

Andy celebrates with team-mates after he fires the away side in front at Celtic Park on the final day of the season. His favourite goal. The 1-0 win meant Aberdeen finished second and above Rangers in the league. He is once again named AFC Player of the Year.

24/11/19 SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP |

Following in the footsteps of Willie Miller, Alex McLeish, Bobby Clark, Stewart McKimmie and Jim Leighton, Andrew makes his 500th appearance for Aberdeen, only the sixth player to have done so.