BIG GAMES, so footballers always maintain, are what they want most. It doesn’t always mean they are ready for them. A year ago, Andrew Considine wasn’t. When the larger tests of nerve came, he tended to fail them. And yet a season littered with failed examinations of his temperament has made him stronger for this term’s retake. A new four-year contract with Aberdeen suggests his club believe he still has it in him to graduate with honours.

Considine has a focus about his game now. He is prepared to admit too many of his previous ones passed in a blur. “I just felt that sometimes my head was somewhere else,” he says. “I made a few mistakes and I was letting them get to my head. This year, I’ve matured. Grown-up a bit. Before, when I was playing in Europe I was getting a bit excited and not concentrating fully. I've been more consistent this year than last and hopefully I can keep it up.”

Last season began for Considine with him effectively giving the game away with a late error to present Dundee United with victory at Tannadice. This one started with Jimmy Calderwood, his Aberdeen manager, preferring him in central defence to the anticipated first choice, Zander Diamond. Considine hesitates when asked if he is now a first pick. “Erm, I’d say I’m more than a squad player now, but I wouldn’t say I’m first pick just yet, I’m still too young for that one,” he replies. “The gaffer has put a lot of trust in me. Putting me in instead of Zander has given me confidence and now I want to repay him.”

Still young then, but not as naive. Considine is wiser after the non-event for Aberdeen that was their Scottish Cup 4-3 semi-final defeat to Queen of the South at Hampden. He scored twice that day, but was culpable for some of the many defensive errors at the back. “I’ve learned since then from what the gaffer and the other players have taught me,” he adds. “I’ve made an improvement. If I do make mistakes again then I’ll cope with them better. You’ve got to learn from your mistakes or you’re just going to get nowhere.”

And Considine is going places even if he isn’t leaving Aberdeen. The new deal was a relief if only because it showed Calderwood rated him. “I’m really happy to have got it done,” says Considine. “I never wanted to leave so I’m pleased it’s sorted out. I just wanted to prove to the manager that I was worth getting signed again. Four years is obviously a long time, but they wanted me on four and I was more than happy to sign it. I’m not planning to go anywhere else and there had been no talk of that.”

Considine credits the summer signing of Mark Kerr from Dundee United for Aberdeen’s defence claiming clean sheets towards single goal victories over Motherwell and St Mirren. Last season, the Dons conceded an astonishing 37 goals away from home, more than two a match. They eventually finished the season in fourth, almost despite themselves. “We did lose a ridiculous amount of goals away so we’ve definitely worked on that,” says Considine.

“We’ve shut up shop.” Instead of giving out freebies.

Invite Considine to pick a low point from last year and he takes enough time to answer to suggest there were a few to choose from. “There are one or two games that stick in my head,” he says, eventually. “There was the first game, when we lost to Dundee United. I scored against Dundee United in the CIS Cup semi-final, which we lost. Scoring twice against Queens, you’d think you’d be on the winning side, but it just didn’t happen for us. I suppose it wasn’t our day, but I’ve got a good feeling that we're going to go one step further this year.”

Whenever a central defender performs well at Aberdeen, as Considine wearily relates, they are compared to either Willie Miller or Alex McLeish. “I’m not saying it’s a different ballgame now, but it’s hard to compare,” he says. It is more realistic to assess him against the Aberdeen players of the here and now, notably Diamond. “Zander’s a good player and he’s highly-rated by a lot of people, especially in Aberdeen, but it’s a good thing for me to have competition like that,” claims Considine. “He had a great year last year, so it’s a pressure.”

Considine cannot say the same about his own last year, but you are only ever as good as your next one in football. If Diamond is about to hit another dip in his rollercoaster career, then Considine is a fair option for Aberdeen until he rides it out.