You are now at Arbroath, who won SPFL League One last season. With the new Championship starting soon, how much have you enjoyed your time at the club and how excited are you to be back at Championship level?
“I have loved my time at the club so far.
“Last season was brilliant. We had a bit of a shaky start, but we pulled through with a really strong squad and managed to win the league with a couple of games to spare. It is a fantastically well-run club with great people, and I am really enjoying my time here. I am looking forward to getting going again in the Championship.”
You are working under co-managers David Gold and Colin Hamilton who are both relatively young in managerial terms. What has that been like?
“Working with both of them has been great. They’ve both got real experience in the game, not just as players but in terms of tactics and management as well.
“They naturally command respect. Even now, they are still involved as players – Hammy’s coming back from injury and Goldie’s keeping himself ticking over and trying to get back into the team.
“They have done a fantastic job so far, and being back in the Championship was a key factor in me signing a new contract for this season. We have a good squad, and I am hopeful we can push for a strong finish in the table this season.”
You came through the youth systems at Celtic and Rangers as a youngster. What did you learn from those experiences?
“Naturally, given the quality of staff and facilities at both clubs, I learned an awful lot.
“The standards expected at each club is incredibly high, especially around how you prepare, how you look after yourself, and your overall professionalism.
“However, something else that was vital to my development was going out on loan to Annan and Edinburgh City to make sure that I was playing games at a young age.
As a goalkeeper, you are still considered young even into your early twenties, and I have now played nearly 150 games. Getting that experience early on by playing against professional players and teams was massive for my development.”
You joined Greenock Morton in 2020 during the Covid-affected season and impressed as the number one goalkeeper. How do you reflect on that year?
“It was a great season for me personally. David Hopkin, who was the manager, showed a lot of trust in me, and so did my goalkeeping coach, Dave Timmins who was a massive support for me. You just have to look at his career in football and some of the goalkeepers that he has worked with including Joe Hart, Kieran Westwood and Wayne Hennessy among others.
“I was 21, playing week in and week out in the Championship, which was exactly what I needed. I loved my time at Morton, even though we did not have fans due to Covid. It was a strange time, but a hugely important one for my career.
“I enjoyed working under Dave Timmins and David Hopkin so much that they were a significant factor as to why I went to Ayr after Morton. They both had a lot of belief in me, which made want to continue working with them at Somerset Park.”
How do you look back on your time at Ayr United?
“The first season was tough, but we managed to stay in the Championship. Things started to improve when Lee Bullen came in. I was playing regularly in that first year, but the second season was more frustrating because I was not playing week in, week out. Sitting on the bench is hard for any player but especially for a goalkeeper.
“I made sure to take my opportunities in the cup games, and we had a decent run in the 2022/23 Scottish Cup when we were just one step away from reaching a semi final at Hampden by reaching the quarterfinals where we lost out to Falkirk.
“Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Ayr. It is another well-run club with great people behind the scenes such as the chairman David Smith is doing a great job developing the club with investment into infrastructure at the stadium and looking at the possibility of a new training ground.”
After Ayr, you had a short spell at Edinburgh City before heading to Northern Ireland to join Larne. What was that experience like?
“I learned a lot from my time at Larne because they have a brilliant set-up – great facilities, top-class gym, changing rooms, everything.
“I did not play as much as I would have liked, but at that stage, I was keen to get back into full-time football. It was good to experience football in a different environment, even if it wasn’t far from home. I enjoyed my time there and met some really good people.
“We won the league – which was only the second time in the history of the club that they had won it – which made it a special time in its own right for the club so it was nice to be a part of that.”
Finally, Aidan, coming back to Arbroath now – you are in your mid-20s, which is still young for a goalkeeper. Do you feel your best years are ahead, and is that something that motivates you?
“Absolutely, I am a better goalkeeper now than I have ever been with the experiences of recent years.
“The Championship has improved since I was last in it, and I’m really excited to see what this season brings – both for me and for Arbroath. I’m very motivated.
“Returning to full-time football is still an aspiration for me but all of my focus is having a strong season with Arbroath and helping the club climb the table as high as we can in the Championship because we are not entering the division just to make up the numbers.”
Featured image: Arbroath FC
Callum McFadden 