McInnes confident Andy will climb Dons appearance chart

ABERDEEN boss Derek McInnes believes Andy Considine can rack up many more games after smashing into the club’s all-time top five appearances.

The Scotland international moved level on 535 appearances with Gothenburg Great Jim Leighton when starting the 2-1 Betfred Cup loss at St Mirren.

Considine will move clear of club legend Leighton if, as expected, he plays against St Mirren in the Premiership on Saturday.

The 33-year-old is closing in on former Dons captain and Scotland international Stewart McKimmie, who made 561 club appearances.

Considine’s current contract expires at the end of this season but has an appearance-related clause which, if met, will trigger an extra year.

The long-serving defender is well on track to meet that and extend his time at the club until summer 2022.

McInnes said: “There is no reason why Andy can’t continue being a prominent player for us in the next couple of seasons.

“There is no sign of Andy letting up and he has many games ahead of him.

“I think it is one of the few positions on the pitch, along with goalkeeper and centre midfield, where as long as you have enough legs around about you then you can play a bit longer.

“Certainly, goalkeepers and centre-back would be positions where you can still perform with the right system and players around you. The key is to keep training and not to miss long spells through injury.

“Andy has come through a couple of serious injuries in his career but thankfully he has kept those injuries to a minimum in the last while.”

Willie Miller leads the way on 797 appearances for the Dons with Alex McLeish on 693.

Andy Considine has played 535 times for Aberdeen.