Andy Considine will bring his 18-year first-team career at Aberdeen to a close on Sunday.
Veteran Considine is expected to run out at Pittodrie one last time as a Dons player after his offer of a new contract was withdrawn by the club a few weeks ago.
The 35-year-old, who came off the bench to make his 570th appearance for the club in the 1-1 draw with Hibernian at Easter Road a week ago, has experienced the highs and lows in his near two decades of service at Pittodrie.
We take a look back at 18 key dates which shaped Considine’s career during his time with his boyhood club.
May 15, 2004
Considine was given his first-team debut in what proved to be Steve Paterson’s final game in charge of the Dons against Dundee.
Richard Foster fired the Dons into an early lead, but goals from Steven Milne and Steve Lovell gave the Dark Blues a 2-1 win.
January 27, 2007
It’s typical of Considine that he would wait three years for his first goal for the club – only to wait 29 minutes for his second.
The defender grabbed both goals for his side in their 2-0 win at St Mirren.
September 20, 2007
Considine’s European debut came for the Dons against Dnipro in the UEFA Cup.
He recovered from illness in time to help the Dons record a goalless draw in their first European tie in five years.
Darren Mackie went on to score in a 1-1 draw in the second leg to help Jimmy Calderwood’s side qualify for the group stages.
February 21, 2008
This was the day Considine and his team-mates took on the mighty Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in Germany.
The Dons made it to the last-32 of the tournament and fans were daring to dream after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Pittodrie in the first leg, but the Germans were too strong on their own patch as they ran out 5-1 winners to seal a 7-3 aggregate victory.
May 12, 2012
A goalless draw against St Mirren might not have seemed an occasion to remember, but for Considine it was one of significance.
The defender capped being named AFC player of the year for the first time by starting every competitive fixture of the 2011-12 season with his final appearance, number 44, coming against the Saints at Pittodrie.
December 29, 2012
A major setback for Considine came close to Hogmanay 2012, when he suffered a broken leg in his side’s 3-1 win at Dundee.
Niall McGinn scored a hat-trick for the Dons, but the result was overshadowed by the injury to the Aberdeen defender.
October 30, 2013
One of the most important goals of Considine’s career and the catalyst for the club’s League Cup success a few months later, came in the quarter-finals at Motherwell.
Reeling from the dismissal of Joe Shaughnessy in the 14th minute, the Dons had to dig deep before hitting the Steelmen with a late sucker-punch.
Considine scored the opener for the 10 men in the 83rd minute before Jonny Hayes sealed victory in stoppage time.
March 16, 2014
The day the Dons painted Celtic Park red.
Aberdeen fans, starved of success for 19 years, sold 40,000 tickets for the final against Caley Thistle.
It was a dour, drab, forgettable affair, but the Dons players cared little as they won the cup thanks to a penalty shoot-out win.
March 27, 2015
A special night as Considine’s long service was rewarded with a testimonial, and Dutch side FC Twente provided the opposition at Pittodrie.
The visitors led 2-0 before Lawrence Shankland pulled a goal back for the home side.
July 16, 2015
Considine’s first European goal for the Dons was, typically, a vital one.
He scored the opener against the much-fancied HJK Rijeka as Derek McInnes’ Dons ran out 3-0 winners in Croatia.
Peter Pawlett and Kenny McLean were the other scorers on a famous night.
March 31, 2017
Another first for Considine as he scores a hat-trick in a 7-0 rout of Dundee at Dens Park.
It was inevitable with the Red Army chanting the defender’s name as he came up for a free-kick seven minutes from time with his team leading 6-0.
With a sliding poacher’s finish any striker would be proud of, he duly slotted home to spark scenes of jubilation with his team-mates and the fans.
A perfect early birthday present for the man who would turn 30 the following day.
May 13, 2018
The man for the big occasion struck again when it mattered most for his club as Considine scored the only goal of the game in a vital season-closer at Parkhead.
His goal gave the Dons their first win at Celtic Park against the Hoops since 2004 and inflicted the first domestic defeat for Celtic under Brendan Rodgers.
If that was not enough, Considine’s winner also ensured the Dons pipped Rangers to second place behind the champions.
November 24, 2019
Considine was given the honour of captaining his team for his 500th appearance for the club at St Johnstone.
Sam Cosgrove fired the Dons into the lead before current Don Matty Kennedy equalised for St Johnstone.
The Saints ended the game with nine men after Murray Davidson and Callum Hendry were sent off, but the Dons could not find a winner.
October 11, 2020
Considine’s Scotland debut came at the age of 33 after six players dropped out of the initial squad due to injuries and Covid-19 for the Nations League game against Slovakia.
He had the hour of being the oldest debutant since 36-year-old Ronnie Simpson played in goal 53 years earlier.
May 15, 2021
The day of his father Doug’s birthday, Considine moved above former Don Stewart McKimmie to fourth in the all-time appearances list at the club.
The only players ahead of him are Willie Miller (797), Alex McLeish (692) and Bobby Clark (591).
However, it was a disappointing one as the Dons went down 4-0 to Premiership champions Rangers at Ibrox.
July 22, 2021
Considine had the honour of scoring the Dons’ first goal of the soon-to-be-over 2021/22 season.
The defender netted the opener in a 5-1 demolition of BK Hacken in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League at Pittodrie.
August 19, 2021
However – a month into the season – disaster struck for Considine as he suffered a serious knee injury early in his side’s 1-0 defeat to Qarabag in the first leg of the play-off round in Azerbaijan.
May 7, 2022
Considine, having been told his time at Pittodrie will end in the summer, makes his return from injury as a substitute in injury-time against Hibernian at Easter Road.
His 570th appearance for the club came in the closing seconds of a 1-1 draw which secured the club’s Premiership status.
