“If someone had brought beer round, it would have been just like sitting in the pub discussing the Dons” – Voice’s David Innes calls in from Pittodrie
This was bordering on the perfect evening for Dons fans. A slab of primal club history from AFC Heritage Trust’s new publication charting the Dons’ early struggles in the Scottish Qualifying Cup; the narration of an entertaining passage by its creator Chris Gavin; reminiscences of more recent success with the launch of Stuart Donald’s On Fire With Fergie (review next week), again enhanced by the author’s reading of impressive episodes, and a relaxed chat with the immortal John Hewitt. Club match day announcer John Mellis compered and chaired this AFC Heritage Trust-sponsored event. The slightly-cynical optimism of his opening description of Donald’s book as “charting the Dons’ most epic era to date” brought wry and rueful smiles from the 50 strong audience before Trust Chairman, Allan McKimmie outlined the Trust’s aims, including its desire to ensure that the club’s heritage includes that heritage as created and remembered by the fans. Fitting on a night when a fan’s account of crazy, happy times was a focal point.
it’s possible that their monopoly could be broken. Come on you Reds.
Once the rationales behind the two books were explained by the authors and the well-received readings over, Mellis enquired of both Donald and guest John Hewitt, a fairly important player for the Dons in the glory years one would have to admit, how the same events had affected fans and players differently and what chance there might be of a sustained challenge to Two Certain Clubs by one or more others in the SPL. Hewitt believes that there has been a levelling of the game finance-wise and that Those Two Clubs are gradually being brought back into the pack, meaning that it’s possible that their monopoly could be broken. Come on you Reds. Questions from the floor ranged from wondering what it felt like to be a Dons legend, to how Stuart Donald coped with being the only Aberdeen fan in a Perth school and whether or not John Hewitt regretted leaving Pittodrie (he did). That’s where the title of this piece came from. It may even have been me who said it. Let’s hope the Trust has a few more of these up its sleeve.
