'Last Christmas, You Gave Me A Start...

Last updated : 06 December 2007 By Stand Free Ed
ABERDEEN'S teen star Chris 'Phil' Maguire may not be a Wham fan, but he certainly has happy memories of last Christmas.

The 18-year-old from Bellshill scored the only goal of his career so far against Kilmarnock with a 20-yard curler on Boxing Day last year.

Maguire has impressed in his eleven appearances this season, and will be looking to continue that form by starting against the Rugby Park side on Saturday.

Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood believes the Dons kid can scare defences with not only his pace but by being unpredictable.

He said: "He does everything off the cuff, so you are never quite sure what is going to happen next."

Maguire has played on either wing during the vast majority of his appearances, as the Dons' wealth of strikers left him unable to play in his favoured position.

But he has started up front in Aberdeen's best performances this season - in the victories over Dundee Utd and Hibs at Pittodrie.

And Calderwood was impressed by the youngster's performance partnering Lee Miller in the 3-1 demolition of the Hibees last Sunday.

He said: "They did very well together because they are very clever players.

"The wee man was great to watch. He was a wee bit down because he knows he should have scored in the game.

"But he certainly grabbed his chance to shine and will be rightly expecting another run when we face Kilmarnock at Pittodrie on Saturday."

Maguire has made seven starts for the Dons and had 27 appearances as substitute. He made his debut in 2006, coming off the bench to good effect in the 2-2 draw with Celtic on May 7th.