Dons Top Scorer Pens New Deal

Last updated : 30 January 2007 By Stand Free Ed

DARREN MACKIE has become the latest player to extend his contract with Aberdeen.

The Kintore lad has agreed a two-year deal with the club, keeping him at Pittodrie until 2009 at least.

Mackie, this season's top scorer with 8 goals, will have been at the club for eleven years by the time his new contract runs out.

Darren broke into the first team in August 1999 under Ebbe Skovdahl but it wasn't until season 2001/02 that he became a regular feature in the first team, chipping in with 9 goals in 29 appearances.

He fell out of favour with new boss Steve Paterson and had a brief loan spell at Inverness Caley Thistle, helping them to the Scottish Cup semi-final in 2004.

Mackie came back to the club to find Jimmy Calderwood in charge for season 2004/05, and went on to have the only season where he truly led the line: he went on to be Aberdeen's top scorer with 15 goals in 37 games, with a lot of help from strike partners Noel Whelan and Fernando Pasquinelli.

The following season saw Darren fail to build upon this, and he weighed in with only 4 goals in 30 appearances. Calderwood attempted to offload the striker to Dundee United on transfer deadline day in August 2006, but Mackie turned down the increased wages to remain a Don.

He told the Daily Record: "Turning down Dundee United was a gamble but my heart was at Aberdeen and that was all I was thinking about."

The signing of Mackie ensures continuity of the core Aberdeen squad, with captain Russell Anderson, vice-captain Scott Severin, Jamie Smith, Chris Clark and Zander Diamond amongst those players tied down until the latter part of the decade.