The news that Sky Sports is set to cancel Soccer AM after nearly three decades on air has received a mixed response from football fans.
The light-hearted Saturday morning football show has been running since 1995 but the final edition could be on May 27 under proposals put forward by the broadcaster.
Aberdeen FC have featured on the iconic show, previously hosted by Helen Chamberlain and Tim Lovejoy, on numerous occasions.
They were among the teams who take part in the show’s famous Crossbar Challenge – although only midfielder Derek Young – who described his position as “sub” – managed to hit the woodwork from the halfway line.
Filmed during Mark McGhee’s time in charge of the Dons, Darren Mackie, Davide Grassi, Mark Kerr and Charlie Mulgrew were among some of the other players who tried their luck.
Maguire shows his skills
The Dons also appeared on the show in 2008 when a young Chris Maguire took on Callum McRobbie in the ‘Skill Skool’ challenge.
Maguire is now back in Scotland at Ayr United following a lengthy spell in England at several clubs including Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham and Sunderland.
McRobbie, a Scotland under-17 international, is listed as currently without a club following spells at Rutherglen, Cumnock and Albion Rovers.
The corner kick king
Seven years ago, Kenny McLean, Ryan Jack and Jamie Masson were put forward to take on the Two-Footed Corner Kick Challenge.
It was a close contest between two of the competitors, although one of the three participants eventually gave up after failing to find the net after 50 attempts.
Watch out for current Dons interim boss Barry Robson making an appearance.
Aberdeen’s Red Army were fans of the week
Back in 1999, a small contingent of the Red Army travelled down to be part of the show as the ‘fans of the week’.
The Dons were managed by Paul Hegarty at the time with the seven Dons supporters teased by host Lovejoy about the club’s slide since the glory years of the 1980s under Alex Ferguson.
The Dons fans excelled in the end of show challenge ‘Chip’ by finding the net on five occasions.
According to reports, staff at Soccer AM were told on Tuesday that their jobs were under threat and the show’s future in doubt.
A Sky spokesman said: “Soccer AM has played an important role in our coverage of football for the past three decades and we continually adapt to the evolving needs of our customers.
“We are unable to provide more detail while these consultations are under way.”
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