Andy Considine reveals Aberdeen 'mourning' as he targets emotional Pittodrie return down the line

It didn’t end the way it was supposed to for Andy Considine at Aberdeen.

After 18 years’ service there should have been satisfaction, not sadness.

A sense of achievement, not acrimony.

But when he left Pittodrie for the last time, he barely got to say goodbye to staff he’d spent two decades with.

Considine will start a new chapter in his career at St Johnstone next week after signing a two-year deal in Perth.

He feels wanted again, something he’d become unfamiliar with during the final days at Aberdeen.

The former Scotland defender claims he wanted to stay in the Granite City until he hung up his boots.

But despite Dons boss Jim Goodwin saying a new one-year deal was on the table for Considine, the 35-year-old insists the decision to leave WASN’T his.

After battling back from a knee injury, he was given a guard of honour by team-mates and opponents for his last game against St Mirren.

Afterwards, he gave a farewell speech in the dressing-room that signalled a period of uncertainty for the defender.

Now his future is at McDiarmid Park after boss Callum Davidson snapped him up at the first opportunity.

But Considine admits leaving Aberdeen after so long was hard to take.

In an exclusive interview with Record Sport , he said: “It was an emotional time for me and my family. Aberdeen were a huge part of our lives for so many years.

“But my time was up. You want to be where you feel wanted – and at Aberdeen that wasn’t the case.

“I wasn’t needed any more. A number of people had been told to leave along with myself, even staff members.

“So I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye face to face with some of them which was hard.

“It was hard to say bye to the boys. I spoke to them after the St Mirren game in the changing