At the age of 35, the Jonny Hayes left-wing express continues to steam along for Aberdeen.
But this season, it has become increasingly clear just how reliant the Dons have become on their veteran winger.
Aberdeen’s poor defending from set-pieces – not to mention the recent trend of conceding late goals – have been the talk of the terraces among the Red Army after the last two matches.
Jim Goodwin’s side have conceded late equalisers in their last two games – against Ross County in the Premiership and at Annan Athletic in the Premier Sports Cup in the previous game.
The Dons were able to make amends in the cup by scoring three times in extra-time to see off the plucky part-timers, but there was no time left to rectify the concession of an equaliser in Dingwall in the fifth minute of stoppage time on Saturday.
Why were Aberdeen so wasteful in Dingwall?
Press and Journal columnist Duncan Shearer believes his former club did not make the most of their opportunities in possession to warrant taking all three points.
Naturally, we’ve gone through nuts and bolts of Aberdeen’s attacking forays at the weekend – and in the previous league games – to see if Shearer’s argument stands up to scrutiny.
Well, as Deadly Dunc proved in his pomp on the pitch, he did not miss.
Aberdeen did force 13 corners against the Staggies on Saturday, the most they have managed in any of their league games to date this season.
Shearer was also bang on when he said he could only recall one of the deliveries leading to a chance, a Ross McCrorie header which missed the target.
In fact, only two of those 13 corners reached an Aberdeen player in the box with Ross County getting a head or boot to 10 other deliveries with one taken short out on the left-hand side.
The 35 crosses in total produced at Victoria Park at the weekend is also the best return in 90 minutes so far in the Premiership.
But the accuracy in the final third was just 59.6%.
Every percentage point matters in the final third for the Dons
In the six games the Dons have played in the league so far, every time their accuracy has dipped under that 60% mark they have failed to win the game.
It was a lowly 47.9% on the opening day 2-0 loss at Celtic Park and was 58.9% in the haphazard 3-2 defeat by Motherwell at Pittodrie last month.
But the 60% passing accuracy in the final third at St Johnstone led to a 1-0 win for the Dons while 68.1% produced a 5-0 win against Livingston and an excellent 77.7% was pivotal in the 4-1 rout of St Mirren.
More often than not, Hayes has been integral.
To date, Hayes has scored two goals and has nine assists in his 11 appearances for the club so far this season with one goal and three assists coming in the six league matches.
He has produced the most crosses of any of his team-mates in the games against Celtic (four), St Johnstone (seven), Livingston (nine) and Ross County (13).
Those crosses have led to two 11 chances created for his side, the last of which led to Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes’ goal against the Staggies at the weekend.
The left flank has been pivotal in Aberdeen’s forward play
It is no wonder Dons boss Goodwin is trying to protect the mercurial Hayes by leaving him on the pitch for the full 90 minutes in less than half (five) of the 11 games played this term so far.
This level of consistency does leave you scratching your head at Derek McInnes’ attempt to reinvent Hayes as a left-back following his return from Celtic two years ago.
That same boundless energy and threat from out wide will no doubt be crucial as the Dons look to secure a victory against Rangers at Pittodrie on Saturday to move second in the table.
The arrival of Hayden Coulson on loan has added to the threat down Aberdeen’s left flank and it will come as no surprise to see both men offered the chance to build on their developing partnership beyond this campaign.
Coulson is in the final year of his contract with Middlesbrough and while it’s early days in his time at Pittodrie it will be a surprise if he is not at least offered a permanent deal by Goodwin.
Former Hoops and Caley Thistle attacker Hayes, meanwhile, agreed a one-year extension in March and is stepping up his involvement in coaching within the club’s youth academy.
But his impact remains so crucial to the team that his manager is already making noises about another extension.
On the basis of his tireless work down the wing, and the understanding with Coulson, it is not hard to see why.
