Aberdeen’s last link with the class of 2014 has been severed after Jonny Hayes called time on his playing career.
In typical Hayes fashion he did so with the minimum of fuss as a brief statement from the club confirmed he had hung up his boots and decided to move on to pastures new as a coach.
Hayes had the honour of being the last member of the club’s 2014 League Cup final winning side still plying their trade at Pittodrie.
There is little doubting his contribution to the club goes much deeper than the one trophy he helped bring to the club and he fully merits the legend tag he has been afforded by the Red Army.
It’s easy to say there has only been one piece of silverware at Pittodrie in the last 29 years and anyone who has played for the club is undeserving of such status.
But Hayes, especially in his pomp, was a sight to behold and along with Adam Rooney and Niall McGinn he was one third of a devastating forward line at Pittodrie.
In this writer’s opinion he is the best left winger to grace the red strip of Aberdeen at Pittodrie since Gothenburg Great Peter Weir.
Given it has been 37 years since Weir played for the Dons we’re talking about a third of the club’s entire history.
What makes Hayes special?
So why does the Irishman deserve such lofty status?
There’s the lung-busting runs all day long for the cause, the tremendous goals, the individual moments of brilliance and the remarkable consistency.
Hayes, who was brought to Pittodrie by the late Craig Brown from Caley Thistle in the summer of 2012, made 352 appearances, 25 of them in European competition, across two spells with the Dons.
With 38 goals to his name too, most of them outrageous efforts, and a ridiculous 90 assists, there are enough memorable moments from his Aberdeen career alone to fill the scrapbook of most players’ careers.
And that’s before you include the successful spells Hayes had at Caley Thistle and Celtic too.
A team player on and off the field
But it’s the other things which don’t get recognised so much which stands Hayes apart.
He earned his club a seven-figure fee when he left for Celtic Park in 2017 before returning on a free three years later after agreeing to defer his wages for 12 months due to the Covid pandemic.
But more importantly was the influence and respect he had from within the Pittodrie changing room.
Dante Polvara could not speak highly enough of Hayes after he bowed out amidst emotional scenes in his last game against Livingston last month.
The guard of honour reduced Hayes to tears as he walked down the tunnel one last time with the fans singing his name.
In addition to his playing commitments he has also been working in the background as part of the youth academy at Cormack Park, and assisted the first team under interim boss Peter Leven when needed.
It is that respect and talent which has led to Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers making a move to lure Hayes back to the Hoops to join the coaching staff.
He is expected to assist Stephen McManus with the B team and work with the under-18s in his new role.
Aberdeen’s loss is undoubtedly Celtic’s gain.
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