Anthony Stewart says fans in Scotland are 'more passionate' than in England

Aberdeen defender Anthony Stewart admits he has been surprised and inspired by the passion of the supporters since moving to Scotland.

The 29-year-old has spent most of his career with Wycombe, either side of a stint at Crewe, before moving to Pittodrie in the summer.

The centre-back was soon made captain by Jim Goodwin and is flourishing under the demands of the Dons fans.

When asked if there had been any surprises since his move to the cinch Premiership, Stewart said ahead of Saturday’s game against Hibernian: “The fans have surprised me.

“I think the fans up here are a lot more passionate than they are in England, which is a good thing.

“And the standard. You don’t know what to expect every weekend so for me it’s been a massive learning curve in terms of understanding the teams and players I am playing against.”

When pressed on his impression of supporters, he added: “They are just more passionate in terms of losing is not accepted up here and they just want the best every time, which is right from them.

“It’s definitely an inspiration. Pressure is a thing in football regardless of whatever club you are at.

“You have got to deal with that. The pressure from the fans is good, it boosts us to want to do better each time.”

Goodwin admits the prospect of having 2,500 supporters at Easter Road on Saturday will make a major difference.

“The level of expense that’s required to be travelling and paying for buses, trains, car journeys, all of those types of things, it’s a very expensive day,” the Aberdeen manager said.

“We’re very aware of that and especially in what’s difficult financial times for a lot of people out there at the moment.

“The Aberdeen supporters always seem to find the money to go and support our team and we as a club, not just my staff and my players, but as a club as a whole are greatly appreciative of that.

“We don’t take it for granted. We don’t just assume that they will be there.

“I think they’re relatively pleased with what they’ve seen from their team up to now this season. I think they’ll be satisfied with where we are in the table, and obviously we have a quarter-final to look forward to next month.

“They’ve helped us to turn the corner. We want to repay them for their commitment to the club.”