Seems the player himself wanted to play against Rangers:
No fond farewell for Dons ace SoneWinger pays tribute to Red Army
Published: 16/05/2008
FAREWELL: Sone Aluko
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ABERDEEN player Sone Aluko is sick that an England call-up has robbed him of the chance to say farewell to the Red Army.
Sone and fellow England youth cap Josh Walker will train with Aberdeen for the final time tomorrow then join up with the England squad heading for Belarus next week.
It means both will miss next week's final SPL match of the season against Rangers at Pittodrie.
Sone admitted he was desperate for a crack at the Gers to give the Dons fans a victory as a thank you for the great reception they gave him throughout his loan period at the club.
He also revealed that the rapport he enjoyed with the Red Army is one of the main reasons why he will jump at the chance to come back to the Dons if Birmingham City decide to put him back out on loan again next season.
“I wanted to say farewell to the Dons fans in style,†said Sone, who has been ordered to return to Birmingham for pre-season training in July.
“They've been great towards me throughout my time at Aberdeen.
“They were at it again at Motherwell on Saturday, chanting my name when I was warming up behind the goal and giving me a great reception when I finally got on.
“The Aberdeen fans are amazing and they are the main reason why I would be happy to come back if the chance arises.
“However, I've been told I have to go back to Birmingham in the summer because I'm contracted to them.
“They are in the Championship now, but I've always said proving I'm good enough to get a regular game for them has always ben my top target.
“But if I have to spend more time back in Scotland before that happens, I will be happy to just get myself back up to Aberdeen and get on with it.â€
Sone would have been allowed to stay on and face Rangers if the Dons had still been in with a chance of making next season's UEFA Cup.
That has added to the anger he feels over the way the Dons were robbed of a "goal" in the 2-1 defeat at Fir Park that killed off their European dream. Referee's assistant Martyn Cryans failed to spot that a Barry Nicholson effort had crossed the line, when the score was 1-1. The Steelmen responded by pinching the points through a late Chris Porter strike. Sone, who had netted Aberdeen's equaliser with his first touch after coming on as a substitute, said: “That could have meant we still had a chance to make Europe, which means a lot to the club and the fans, so it's very annoying.
“The ball came back to me after the keeper had pushed Barry's effort away.
“It was clearly in, so I couldn't believe the goal wasn't given.
“I did my best to then knock the rebound in but my shot was blocked.
“I'm sure we would have got the three points if the goal had been given.
“I was delighted to score with my first touch and we were definitely looking the most likely to go on and win it at that stage.â€
Seems the player himself wanted to play against Rangers:
No fond farewell for Dons ace SoneWinger pays tribute to Red Army
Published: 16/05/2008
FAREWELL: Sone Aluko
More Pictures
ABERDEEN player Sone Aluko is sick that an England call-up has robbed him of the chance to say farewell to the Red Army.
Sone and fellow England youth cap Josh Walker will train with Aberdeen for the final time tomorrow then join up with the England squad heading for Belarus next week.
It means both will miss next week's final SPL match of the season against Rangers at Pittodrie.
Sone admitted he was desperate for a crack at the Gers to give the Dons fans a victory as a thank you for the great reception they gave him throughout his loan period at the club.
He also revealed that the rapport he enjoyed with the Red Army is one of the main reasons why he will jump at the chance to come back to the Dons if Birmingham City decide to put him back out on loan again next season.
“I wanted to say farewell to the Dons fans in style,†said Sone, who has been ordered to return to Birmingham for pre-season training in July.
“They've been great towards me throughout my time at Aberdeen.
“They were at it again at Motherwell on Saturday, chanting my name when I was warming up behind the goal and giving me a great reception when I finally got on.
“The Aberdeen fans are amazing and they are the main reason why I would be happy to come back if the chance arises.
“However, I've been told I have to go back to Birmingham in the summer because I'm contracted to them.
“They are in the Championship now, but I've always said proving I'm good enough to get a regular game for them has always ben my top target.
“But if I have to spend more time back in Scotland before that happens, I will be happy to just get myself back up to Aberdeen and get on with it.â€
Sone would have been allowed to stay on and face Rangers if the Dons had still been in with a chance of making next season's UEFA Cup.
That has added to the anger he feels over the way the Dons were robbed of a "goal" in the 2-1 defeat at Fir Park that killed off their European dream. Referee's assistant Martyn Cryans failed to spot that a Barry Nicholson effort had crossed the line, when the score was 1-1. The Steelmen responded by pinching the points through a late Chris Porter strike. Sone, who had netted Aberdeen's equaliser with his first touch after coming on as a substitute, said: “That could have meant we still had a chance to make Europe, which means a lot to the club and the fans, so it's very annoying.
“The ball came back to me after the keeper had pushed Barry's effort away.
“It was clearly in, so I couldn't believe the goal wasn't given.
“I did my best to then knock the rebound in but my shot was blocked.
“I'm sure we would have got the three points if the goal had been given.
“I was delighted to score with my first touch and we were definitely looking the most likely to go on and win it at that stage.â€