MAY UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
STEVIE MAY’s arrival at Aberdeen in the summer of 2017 was met with almost instant hero worship among the Red Army.
At last a goalscorer with a proven track record to rival Adam Rooney and perhaps even the club’s greatest strikers of years gone by such as Eoin Jess, John Hewitt and even Joe Harper.
The Dons splashed £400,000 to pluck the man who had torn up Scottish football with St Johnstone and scored 32 goals in 80 games with Preston.
Such was the hysteria at Pittodrie the frontman was handed the club’s first No.83 shirt along with a four-year contract. And it doesn’t take a genius to work out the significance of “May 83” at Pittodrie.
Fast forward a year to the early part of this season though and the striker’s reputation was becoming as battered as his namesake at No.10 Downing Street.
Just five goals in 18 months for the Reds was not the return the demanding Dons faithful had expected and the man with the Bon Jovi hair was finding life in the north-east anything but a Bed of Roses.
For May it looked to be game over.
But while the supporters questioned what on earth had happened to the player who had almost singlehandedly dumped the Dons out of the Scottish Cup with St Johnstone five years ago one man kept the faith. Boss Derek McInnes.
And at long last there are signs the striker, still just 26, is beginning to rediscover the form that made him hot property only a few years ago.
Tuesday night’s performance against Livingston had everything a manager and the supporters could want from a forward. Other than a goal.
May covered every blade of grass at Pittodrie in a man-of-the-match showing as McInnes’s side fought back to take the points 3-2.
His display had pundits and McInnes gushing with praise. And, perhaps more importantly, the Pittodrie faithful too.
Former Dons midfielder Stuart Duff has no doubt May is heading back towards his best.
Duff was co-commentating on the Livingston win for RedTV.
And he said: “The signs are there that Stevie is getting back to his best.
“A lot of fans and pundits had been giving him a hard time but you can see glimpses of what he is all about again.
“He’s still a top striker who is a step ahead of most of defenders in the league.”