If it’s a long way to Tipperary, it’s going to be a marathon journey for Jock Gardiner and Bob Bain at the end of this week.
The stalwart Aberdeen FC Heritage Trust members have pledged to visit all the surviving football grounds – and those which have vanished – where the Dons were involved in action since their foundation nearly 120 years ago.
Whether it was friendlies, European ties or testimonial tussles, the duo have drawn up a hectic schedule from June 9 to 12, which will take them all over the Emerald Isle from Glentoran to St Patrick’s, Shelbourne to Shamrock Rovers and Malahide United to the wonderfully-named Cobh Ramblers.
They have even unearthed the programme which highlights how Aberdeen, in the guise of the Washington Whips, met the Detroit Cougars – more usually known as Glentoran – in the United States in 1967 during a bold attempt to sell the sport to the Americans through recruiting big-name British clubs.
Bob and Jock have discovered plenty of information about their beloved team’s many short trips across the Irish Sea and although they have generally enjoyed positive results, matters didn’t go too well for them in 1909, just half a dozen years after Aberdeen came into existence.
Perhaps, they hadn’t fully recovered from their Christmas celebrations when they travelled to Grosvenor Park to meet Distillery on December 27, but whatever the reason, the Scots were on the wrong end of a 7-2 stuffing.
And, although it was just a friendly, their travails in Belfast were watched by all of 10,000 supporters who revelled in the Dons’ misfortune.
Matters had improved significantly by the 1920s and 30s as these forays became a regular occurrence. There were contests with Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, Dundalk, Derry City and Glentoran between 1928 and 1932 and the Dons won them all by an aggregate margin of 19-7 as their strikers found their shooting boots in the build-up to new domestic campaigns.
Eventually, with the advent of European competitions, these ties developed a steelier edge, but Aberdeen have maintained an impressive record in the thick of battle, defeating Finn Harps in the Uefa Cup in 1973 and emerging with a hard-earned 0-0 draw and 1-0 victory against Bohemians in 1987 and 2000.
However, there was a sting in the tail in the latter tie when the Irish club beat the Dons 2-1 at Pittodrie and went through on goal difference – which is one of the worst-ever European night in the Scottish team’s history.
Some of their former adversaries have gone defunct, while others have grown in stature in recent decades. But they are all on the packed schedule which Bob and Jock have drawn up to amass funds for the heritage organisation.
It’s not an itinerary for the faint-hearted, but there again, these redoubtable characters have an uncompromising attitude to dealing with problems or obstacles. And their drive and dedication exemplifies why the Trust has become one of the most vibrant aspects of the whole club in the last decade.
Indeed, they are now committed to creating an AFC Heritage Trail throughout the Granite City. The initiative is being promoted to mark significant places in the club’s development and commemorative plaques being erected at every site, alongside a walking trail app and guide.
The locations, which cover the previous grounds of the three founder clubs of the current Aberdeen FC – Aberdeen, Orion and Victoria United – steer us all the way back to the inaugural meeting of Aberdeen Association FC, which was held at what was then the Albert Hotel – it is currently a hairdressing salon – in the city’s Correction Wynd on October 8 1881.
Then it moves on to the site of the former Recreation Grounds – around the current Palmerston Road, North Esplanade West and south-east end of Market Street – where Aberdeen FC played their home games during the season 1885 to 1886. And it subsequently wends towards Trinity Cemetery, close to Pittodrie, where their first manager, James Philip, is buried.
Many people will be unfamiliar with the plethora of different venues at which these early Dons strutted their stuff, but Jock and Bob have set themselves the task of transforming that situation and this new trail will, quite literally, allow supporters to follow in the footsteps of legends.
And, though their stamina may be tested when they journey to Ireland, one suspects that Jock and Bob won’t be deterred by any hurdles in their path.
The latter fellow, who has hardly missed a home fixture in the last 44 years, said: “This trip was planned [pre-Covid] for 2020, following our successful fundraising forays in 2019 to 32 grounds where Aberdeen had played and our first venture in 2018 to 18 different club grounds in the space of 18 hours.
“This new trip will see us visit grounds and the sites of former grounds where Aberdeen FC has played and also grounds which have a link to the club, such as Dundalk FC – where Dons legend John Hewitt managed the team in 1996.”
Jock added: “Preserving the rich history of Aberdeen FC via our fundraising activities is both enjoyable and important, so that future generations can learn about the Dons and its predecessor clubs.”
“The development of the AFCHT Heritage Trail is something that has been given real focus by myself and other trustees during and after lockdown.
“The health and wellbeing benefits derived from exercise via this walking tour around the previous grounds where Aberdeen FC has played will be a terrific experience for fans and local history buffs.”
The Trust takes pride in its activities and why shouldn’t it? After all, any organisation which forgets its roots can end up losing its soul. And one of the more positive aspects of life in the pandemic has been the emergence of local history groups with a genuine resolve to delve into their ancestry.
As Jock added: “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 trail plaques will mark the places of historical interest and keep the spirit of the club alive across the city and not just at the current ground. We previously raised over £14,000 from our 2018 and 2019 tours, so we hope to top this with donations as a result of our Irish challenge in the days ahead.”
These are men on a mission with a pioneering spirit. You might say they are football’s equivalent of the Time Team archaeologists.
Their ferries are booked and the details of their whistle-stop tour on Ireland have been fine-tuned. Expect them to unearth fresh pearls of wisdom as these History Boys delve into places where the past meets the present.
Donations to the charity challenge can be made here.
