ABERDEEN WRITING A NEW STORIE OF SUCCESS
NOT many players would have had the temerity to turn down an invitation from Sir Alex Ferguson to join him at Manchester United. But not only did young Craig Storie do just that, he is currently embarking on a challenge of which the great man himself would surely approve. And with Aberdeen now pushing Celtic hard in pursuit of the Premiership title, the 20-yearold midfielder feels more vindicated than ever in his decision to kick-start his career at Pittodrie rather than Old Trafford. It was four years ago that Ferguson, then in charge at United, tried to lure the youngster south after a successful trial. Despite being naturally tempted, Storie was mature enough to realise that regular first-team football would be a much more achievable goal. Now, after two troublesome years with injury, he has more than proved his worth in the absence of captain Ryan Jack, culminating in a superb display in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Ronny Deila’s side. Storie is certain to start at St Johnstone today as the Dons look to consolidate that midweek victory with another win that would take them level on points with the champions. If that wasn’t incentive enough for the youngster, there’s also the chance to reinforce why Aberdeen should move quickly to ensure he sticks around for a long time yet. ‘My contract is up in the summer, so I need to keep playing well and hopefully get a new one at the end of the season,’ said Storie. ‘I think I have a great chance here playing under Derek McInnes and I’d love a new contract to stay on. ‘It proves I made the right decision (to reject Manchester United) as I have started playing now. ‘I can’t imagine I’d be playing down there, so I think I made the right decision to stay. ‘I’ve had to wait for my chance until the gaffer put me in but I think I’ve done well the last three games I’ve played in and the gaffer obviously thinks the same by putting me in for such a big game against Celtic. ‘He didn’t tell me I was playing until an hour before kick-off and that helped me, although I had been thinking about it all week. ‘It’s been a great experience playing in such big games. I always had the belief I could play at this level. ‘The aim now is to keep my place and play as many games as I can until the end of the season.’ The continued absence of Jack and Willo Flood, plus the failure to sign Greg Tansey from Inverness, means Storie could become a key component in the crucial weeks ahead. McInnes, of course, is always careful not to predict big things for his team. Today’s trip to Perth is a massive one for the Dons, and he’s naturally wary after Saints won 5-1 at Pittodrie earlier this season. ‘For us to win against St Johnstone we will need to take a big performance there,’ said the Aberdeen boss. ‘We have to bring the same intensity and get as many strong performances as we can. ‘We weren’t at our best against Celtic in terms of playing but what was clear was our determination to make sure the game went our way.’