It promises to be a memorable year for Aberdeen FC, with a string of historic dates pencilled into the calendars of club aficionados.
It’s 120 years since the Dons were founded in 1903 and the 40th anniversary of the most famous achievement in their history – the momentous victory over Spanish giants Real Madrid in the final of the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup, which explains why the Gothenburg Greats will receive the Freedom of the City from the council in May.
Every organisation needs stalwarts who work behind the scenes to preserve the history at the grassroots and Jock Gardiner, a passionate football enthusiast, is among those who have ensured the success of the Aberdeen FC Heritage Trust (AFCHT); a group which has delved into the past with a determination worthy of the most committed archaeologist.
Jock Gardiner in his element
Jock was in his element when he talked about the discovery of a pair of 115-year-old football boots worn by a Dons legend which seemed destined for the skip.
The artefacts, which belonged to prolific striker George McNicol, were rescued from oblivion outside Pittodrie in 1993 and spent 20 years gathering dust in a shed before their significance became apparent.
But now, they are a part of the burgeoning amount of memorabilia which is being amassed and will become prized items in a museum in the future.
A Dons heritage trail is being created
He and his colleague, Bob Bain, visited every football ground in Ireland where the Dons have ever paraded their skills during a gruelling odyssey last summer.
It followed on from the duo’s successful fundraising forays in 2019 to visit 47 grounds in the central belt and the south of Scotland where Aberdeen had played, and their initial venture in 2018 to traverse no less than 18 club venues in the space of 18 hours.
Meanwhile, the Trust has been active in establishing a heritage trail across the city, recording where the first steps were taken by the original pioneers around the start of the 20th Century. And their labours have highlighted how many different grounds Aberdeen played at before Pittodrie was constructed in the 1920s.
As Jock said: “We want to celebrate the club’s past to help ensure that an important part of the city’s sporting heritage is not forgotten.
“The development of the AFCHT Heritage Trail is something that has been given real focus by myself and other trustees during and after lockdown.”
These are men on a mission with the same pioneering spirit as their predecessors. Football’s equivalent of the Time Team members at a new dig site, or the Detectorists pursuing the footprints of those who walked before them.
Conversation