Andy Considine has seen enough managers come and go during his time at Aberdeen to know how crucial the first few weeks can be.
Every player desperate to make an impression on the new man, hoping to prove he can be a pivotal part of his plans for the future.
Aberdeen face a well-publicised summer rebuild, given the significant number of players they have out of contract. Even the ones with the security of an extra year or two on their deals cannot afford to feel too safe.
New manager Stephen Glass will be facing some big decisions before the end of the season.
“Yes, I 100 per-cent agree that we’re all essentially on trial,” said Considine. “The manager has come in, it’s the sixth manager I’ve played under and it feels like that every time that a new manager comes in.
“I know he’s watched all the games this season so he’ll have a rough idea already, but when he’s here, you’re face-to-face, you’re on the training pitch, you want to impress and do well.
“I know that everybody who is involved against Livingston will want to give their all, firstly to get the result, but also to impress the manager.
“There are a lot of players who are out of contract. I feel we’ve had a few summers when there’s been a big turnover of players, but I think this could potentially be the biggest one.
“There are going to be a lot of new faces coming in, so for boys like myself who do have a year left or are going to be at the club for the next couple of years, we’re far from safe as well. We need to show in training and games that we’re worth being in that starting XI and that squad.”
Niall McGinn, Tommie Hoban, Greg Leigh, Mikey Devlin, Ash Taylor, Ethan Ross and Bruce Anderson are out of contract, while loan players Gary Woods, Florian Kamberi, Callum Hendry and Fraser Hornby are all due to return to their parent clubs.
Considine has played alongside Taylor and Hoban for the majority of this season and has backed the defensive pair to win themselves new deals.
“Defensively, as a team, I think we’ve been really solid this year,” he added. “From front to back I think we’ve done a good job and long may that continue for the rest of the season. Ash and Tommie have been a massive, massive part of that.
“I think both Ash and Tommie have had brilliant seasons. They are two guys who are out of contract and deserve new contracts and staying at Aberdeen. They’re two brilliant players who have helped with keeping us clean sheets. But it’s obviously the manager’s decision.”
The home game against Livingston today is Glass’ first game in charge and presents the chance for the Dons to advance in the Scottish Cup.
With the end of the season in sight, the cup presents a real chance for Aberdeen to collect some much-needed silverware.
“There aren’t many players in the dressing room who have a Scottish Cup to their name,” added Considine. “I would love to finish on a high this year and to get to a final and lift the Scottish Cup would be the icing on the cake.
“I feel that the boys have worked really hard this season and we’ve had some tough times, but I feel if we can have that silverware towards the end, it would put a lot of smiles on faces. Not just our faces, but the whole city because it really does affect the whole of the north-east.
“We came so close back in 2017. It was a really close game with Celtic, but we couldn’t get over the line. We’ve played in a few finals over the last seven or eight years and it would be great to play in another one and hopefully get over that hurdle and lift that cup.”
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